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Agronomy
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Research Progress in Biochar and Microbial Remediation for Heavy Metal...
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Research Progress in Biochar and Microbial Remediation for Heavy Metal Agricultural Soil

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 3625

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Małgorzata Majewska

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Guest Editor
Department of Industrial and Environmental Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
Interests: metal bioavailability; heavy metal bioremediation; metal-induced stress; rhizosphere microorganisms; plant-growth-promoting microorganisms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Agnieszka Hanaka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
Interests: abiotic and biotic stress factors; metal phytotoxicity; enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants; plant-growth-promoting microorganisms; metal-contaminated soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biochar (BC) is a carbon product that is synthesized via the pyrolysis of biological materials in the absence of oxygen. Currently, the production of BC is considered one of the best solutions to systematically reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere as a result of exclusion and sequestration. BC is a porous material with a large sorption surface area containing many functional groups. These features allow BC to be used as a soil conditioner that increases the organic carbon content, regulates the pH, and retains water in the soil. Biochar reduces the mobility of heavy metals in the soil, as well as the uptake and accumulation of these metals in plant biomass.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide insight into methods of improving the structural and physicochemical properties of BC and enhance its potential in the microbial remediation and phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soils. Also of relevance are the effects of BC on plant growth, soil microorganism activity, and diversity, and the stability of heavy metals and their distribution between exchangeable, reducible, oxidisable and residual fractions, as well as the possible hazards associated with BC application in agricultural soils.

Dr. Małgorzata Majewska
Dr. Agnieszka Hanaka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biochar production
  • soil carbon sequestration
  • metal bioavailability in biochar-treated soils
  • bioremediation efficacy
  • heavy metal bioremediation mechanisms
  • phytoremediation
  • soil bioremediation
  • microorganism–biochar interactions
  • nano-biochar
  • risks of biochar use

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 632 KiB  
Article
Biochar Derived from Agro-Industrial Waste: Applications in Agricultural and Environmental Applications
by Tomasz Sosulski, Wiktoria Wierzchowska, Wojciech Stępień and Magdalena Szymańska
Agronomy 2025, 15(5), 1087; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051087 - 29 Apr 2025
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate in vegetation and laboratory experiments the impact of biochars derived from agro-food industry waste (wheat bran and cherry pits) on selected soil chemical properties, maize yield, and chemical composition, as well as their ability to [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to investigate in vegetation and laboratory experiments the impact of biochars derived from agro-food industry waste (wheat bran and cherry pits) on selected soil chemical properties, maize yield, and chemical composition, as well as their ability to adsorb zinc and copper, thereby reducing their uptake by plants. The obtained results indicate that biochars produced under the same pyrolysis conditions differ in chemical composition. Both biochars significantly increased the total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) content in the soil, but they did not affect the availability of nutrients in the soil. The tested biochars did not enhance plant yields or increase the uptake of N, P, K, Mg, and Ca by plants. However, both biochars reduced the uptake of Zn and Cu by plants due to the adsorption of these elements by the biochars. The results obtained in the laboratory experiment indicate that biochar from wheat bran adsorbed approximately 438.5 mM(+) kg−1 and 566.8 mM(+) kg−1, while biochar from cherry pits adsorbed approximately 239.4 mM(+) kg−1 and 303.5 mM(+) kg−1 from the solution. The ion exchange contribution to the adsorption of Zn2+ and Cu2+ by biochar from wheat bran was approximately 65.8% and 65.0%, respectively. In contrast, for biochar from cherry pits, the contributions were approximately 59.4% and 44.7%, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Biochar and Microbial Remediation for Heavy Metal Agricultural Soil)
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19 pages, 5716 KiB  
Article
The Application of MgO-Modified Biochars for the Immobilization of Ni, Cu, Pb, and Cr in Stone Crushing and Mining-Polluted Soil
by Irfan Saleem, Altaf Hussain Lahori, Monika Mierzwa-Hersztek, Ambreen Afzal, Maria Taj Muhammad, Muhammad Shoaib Ahmed, Viola Vambol and Sergij Vambol
Agronomy 2024, 14(7), 1423; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071423 - 30 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1501
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of MgO 0.5 g/kg loaded in different organic waste materials on the properties of the modified biochars obtained. The waste materials included tea waste, wood waste, water chestnut peel, and pomegranate peel, [...] Read more.
The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of MgO 0.5 g/kg loaded in different organic waste materials on the properties of the modified biochars obtained. The waste materials included tea waste, wood waste, water chestnut peel, and pomegranate peel, which were used to create tea waste MgO-modified biochar (TWMgO-MBC), wood waste MgO-modified biochar (WSMgO-MBC), water chestnut peel MgO-modified biochar (WCMgO-MBC), and pomegranate peel MgO-modified biochar (PPMgO-MBC). All the MgO-modified biochars were prepared at 600 °C for 2 h and applied at 0.5 and 1% doses for the immobilization of Ni, Cu, Pb, and Cr in stone crushing and mining-polluted soil and the reduction in their uptake by pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) plant. The greatest fresh and dry biomasses were observed at 45.04% and 31.29%, respectively, with the application of TWMgO-MBC 1% in stone-crushing-polluted soil. The highest degree of immobilization of Ni (76.67%) was observed for the WSMgO-MBC 1% treatment, Cu (73.45%) for WCMgO-MBC 1%, Pb (76.78%) for WSMgO-MBC 1%, and Cr (70.55%) for WCMgO-MBC 1%, in comparison with the control. The maximum uptake of Ni, Cu, Pb, and Cr in the shoot of pearl millet was reduced by 78.43% with WSMgO-MBC 1%, 75.06% with WSMgO-MBC 1%, 90.81% with WCMgO-MBC 1%, and 85.71% with WSMgO-MBC 1% as compared with the control. The greatest reduction in Ni, Cu, Pb, and Cr in the root of pearl millet was observed at 77.81% with WSMgO-MBC 1%, 68.09% with WCMgO-MBC 1%, 84.03% with WCMgO-MBC 1%, and 88.73% with WCMgO-MBC 1%, in comparison with the control. The present study demonstrated that the TWMgO-MBC 1% treatment was highly effective for improving plant growth, while the WSMgO-MBC 1%, and WCMgO-MBC 1% treatments were found to be highly effective for immobilizing heavy metals in polluted soils, thus facilitating safe crop cultivation. Future studies should concentrate on the long-term application of MgO-modified biochars for the remediation of multimetal-polluted soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Biochar and Microbial Remediation for Heavy Metal Agricultural Soil)
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Review

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25 pages, 2051 KiB  
Review
Biochar in the Bioremediation of Metal-Contaminated Soils
by Małgorzata Majewska and Agnieszka Hanaka
Agronomy 2025, 15(2), 273; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020273 - 22 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1334
Abstract
Biochar is produced from a wide variety of feedstocks (algal biomass, forest, agricultural and food residues, organic fraction of municipal waste, sewage sludge, manure) by thermochemical conversion. In general, it is a dark, porous material with a large surface area, low density, high [...] Read more.
Biochar is produced from a wide variety of feedstocks (algal biomass, forest, agricultural and food residues, organic fraction of municipal waste, sewage sludge, manure) by thermochemical conversion. In general, it is a dark, porous material with a large surface area, low density, high cation exchange capacity, and alkaline pH. By reducing the content of harmful substances in the soil, the application of biochar increases the activity, number, and diversity of microorganisms and improves plant growth in contaminated areas. The aim of the review was to explore the advantages and drawbacks of biochar use in soil bioremediation. General issues such as methods of biochar production, its physical and chemical properties, and various applications are presented. As biochar is an efficient adsorbent of heavy metals, the review focused on its benefits in (I) soil bioremediation, (II) improvement of soil parameters, (III) reduction of metal toxicity and bioaccumulation, (IV) positive interaction with soil microorganisms and soil enzymatic activity, and (V) promotion of plant growth. On the other hand, the potential risks of biochar formulation and utilization were also discussed, mainly related to the presence of heavy metals in biochar, dust hazard, and greenhouse gases emission. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress in Biochar and Microbial Remediation for Heavy Metal Agricultural Soil)
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