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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
chemistry
Quantifying the total and bioavailable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins in biochars
Environmental Science and Technology, Volume 46, No. 5, Year 2012
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Description
Biochar soil amendment is advocated to mitigate climate change and improve soil fertility. A concern though, is that during biochar preparation PAHs and dioxins are likely formed. These contaminants can possibly be present in the biochar matrix and even bioavailable to exposed organisms. Here we quantify total and bioavailable PAHs and dioxins in a suite of over 50 biochars produced via slow pyrolysis between 250 and 900 °C, using various methods and biomass from tropical, boreal, and temperate areas. These slow pyrolysis biochars, which can be produced locally on farms with minimum resources, are also compared to biochar produced using the industrial methods of fast pyrolysis and gasification. Total concentrations were measured with a Soxhlet extraction and bioavailable concentrations were measured with polyoxymethylene passive samplers. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 0.07 μg g -1 to 3.27 μg g -1 for the slow pyrolysis biochars and were dependent on biomass source, pyrolysis temperature, and time. With increasing pyrolysis time and temperature, PAH concentrations generally decreased. These total concentrations were below existing environmental quality standards for concentrations of PAHs in soils. Total PAH concentrations in the fast pyrolysis and gasification biochar were 0.3 μg g -1 and 45 μg g -1, respectively, with maximum levels exceeding some quality standards. Concentrations of bioavailable PAHs in slow pyrolysis biochars ranged from 0.17 ng L -1 to 10.0 ng L -1which is lower than concentrations reported for relatively clean urban sediments. The gasification produced biochar sample had the highest bioavailable concentration (162 ± 71 ng L -1). Total dioxin concentrations were low (up to 92 pg g -1) and bioavailable concentrations were below the analytical limit of detection. No clear pattern of how strongly PAHs were bound to different biochars was found based on the biochars' physicochemical properties. © 2012 American Chemical Society.
Authors & Co-Authors
Hale, Sarah E.
Norway, Oslo
Norges Geotekniske Institutt
Lehmann, Johannes C.
United States, Ithaca
Cornell University
Rutherford, David W.
United States, Denver
United States Geological Survey Central Region
Zimmerman, Andrew R.
United States, Gainesville
University of Florida
Bachmann, Robert Thomas
Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Shitumbanuma, Victor
Zambia, Lusaka
University of Zambia
O'Toole, Adam
Norway, As
Norsk Institutt for Bioøkonomi
Sundqvist, Kristina L.
Sweden, Umea
Umeå Universitet
Arp, Hans Peter H.
Norway, Oslo
Norges Geotekniske Institutt
Cornelissen, Gerard
Norway, Oslo
Norges Geotekniske Institutt
Sweden, Stockholm
Stockholms Universitet
Norway, As
Norges Miljø- og Biovitenskapelige Universitet
Statistics
Citations: 507
Authors: 10
Affiliations: 10
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1021/es203984k
ISSN:
0013936X
e-ISSN:
15205851
Research Areas
Environmental
Sexual And Reproductive Health