Biochar
Biochar is produced from burning organic material in the absence of oxygen. Any organic material can be used such as wood, grass, or waste products like shells or husks. Biochar is made almost entirely of carbon. Therefore, it remains stable for decades and so also sequesters carbon from the atmosphere.
When biochar is added to acidic soil it raises the soil pH and can have a liming effect, increasing nutrient availability and benefiting plant growth. Our research has demonstrated the benefits of biochar application to acidic urban horticulture soils in Ghana and current research is investigating the efficacy of cocoa pod husk biochar applied to cocoa plantations.
Because biochar has an incredibly high surface area and cation exchange capacity it is able to immobilise organic and inorganic toxic contaminants in soils and sediments, making them less available to organisms.
Our research seeks to identify the optimum feedstock and pyrolysis temperature to create biochars with the greatest capacity to adsorb pollutants from the soil solution.
The dream scenario is that we can add biochar to contaminated land to remediate polluted sites and at the same time fund the remediation through trading carbon credits. This could be a real silver bullet for sustainable contaminated land remediation.
Papers on Biochar
Ogbuagu, C., Robinson, S. and Sizmur, T., 2023. Feedstock nitrogen content mediates maximum possible Pb sorption capacity of biochars. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. 25, 2102-2109
Garau, M., Garau, G., Sizmur, T., Coole, S., Castaldi, P. and Pinna, M.V., 2023. Biochar and Eisenia fetida (Savigny) promote sorghum growth and the immobilization of potentially toxic elements in contaminated soils. Applied Soil Ecology, 182, p.104697.
Rodríguez-Vila, A., Atuah, L., Abubakari, A.H., Atorqui, D.W., Alhassan, A.K., Coole, S., Hammond, J., Robinson, S. and Sizmur, T., 2022. Effect of biochar on micronutrient availability and uptake into leafy greens in two urban tropical soils with contrasting soil pH. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6:821397.
Garau, M., Sizmur, T., Coole, S., Castaldi, P. and Garau, G., 2022. Impact of Eisenia fetida earthworms and biochar on potentially toxic element mobility and health of a contaminated soil. Science of the Total Environment, 806, p.151255.
Ganesan, S.P., Bordoloi, S., Ni, J., Sizmur, T., Garg, A. and Sekharan, S., 2020. Exploring implication of variation in biochar production on geotechnical properties of soil. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, pp.1-11.
Rodriguez-Vila, A., Selwyn-Smith, H., Enunwa, L. Covelo, E, and Sizmur, T. 2018 Predicting Cu and Zn sorption capacity of biochars based on source material and pyrolysis temperature. Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
Sizmur, T., Fresno, T., Akgül, G., Frost, H. and Moreno-Jiménez, E. 2017 Biochar modification to enhance sorption of inorganics from water. Bioresource Technology. 246, 34-47.
Sizmur, T., Peregrina, A., Moreno-Jimenez, E., Quilliam, R., Beesley, L. and Gomez-Eyles, J.L. 2015 Application of biochar for soil remediation, in: Guo, M., He, Z. and Uchimiya, S. (Eds), Agricultural and Environmental Applications of Biochar: Advances and Barriers. ASA, CSSA, SSSA.
Beesley, L., Moreno-Jimenez, E., Fellet, G., Carrijo, L. and Sizmur, T. 2015 Biochar and heavy metals, in: Lehmann, J. and Joseph, S. (Eds) Biochar for Environmental Management: Science, Technology and Implementation/Application: 2nd Edition.
Gomez-Eyles, J.L., Beesley, L., Moreno-Jimenez, E., Ghosh, U. and Sizmur, T., 2013 The potential of biochar amendments to remediate contaminated soils, in: Ladygina, N. and Rineau, F. (Eds), Biochar and Soil Biota. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Sizmur, T., Wingate, J., Hutchings, T. and Hodson, M.E. 2011 Lumbricus terrestris L. does not impact on the remediation efficiency of compost and biochar amendments. Pedobiologia. 54S, S211-216.
Beesley, L., Moreno-Jimenez, E., Gomez-Eyles, J. Harris, E., Robinson, B. and Sizmur, T. 2011 A review of biochars’ potential role in the remediation, revegetation and restoration of contaminated soils. Environmental Pollution. 159, 3269-3282. (4th most downloaded paper from Environmental Pollution in 2012)
Gomez-Eyles, J.L., Sizmur, T, Collins, C. and Hodson, M.E. 2011 Effects of biochar and Eisenia fetida on the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and potentially toxic elements. Environmental Pollution. 159, 616-622.