Heavy metals immobilization in contaminated soil by grape-pruning-residue biochar

To investigate the influence of grape-pruning-residue (GPR) biochar on cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) immobilization in a contaminated soil, a laboratory study was conducted with different rates of GPR biochar (0, 2, 5 and 10% w/w) at 25°C. After 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks of incubation, the Tessier sequential extraction procedure was performed and metal mobility factor (MF) and metal stability index (I_R) were calculated. The exchangeable (EX) and carbonate (CAR) fractions of the metals decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with the biochar addition. The EX metal fractions decreased by 23 to 72%, and the CAR fractions decreased by 51 to 67% in the 10% biochar treatment after 8-week incubation. The MF values of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn decreased by 47, 62, 70 and 49%, respectively, with addition %10 of the biochar. Biochar addition favored the metal redistribution into more stable fractions and resulted in an increase in I_R values. The results demonstrated that the GPR biochar, especially at high application rate (10%), can effectively immobilize the heavy metals, thereby reducing their mobility in contaminated soils.