Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Assessment of Waste-Derived Biochars on the Health and Biological Activity of Soil
Published on: October 10, 2025
Model for the study of the impact of atmospheric heavy metals on soil microbial biomass
M Marchionni1, A Benedetti, C Riccardi
1Istituto Sperimentale per la Nutrizione delle Piante, Rome. nutrazotata@isnp.it
Abstract:
In the Castelporziano (Rome) protected area the inputs of atmospheric heavy metals on the soil-plant system were evaluated by the analysis of stem-flowing water from Quercus ilex L. The heavy metals detected in the soil under the canopies exhibited higher concentrations near to the tree trunks, highlighting the tree's capacity to concentrate such polluting substances. Microbial biomass, its specific respiration and the biomass calculated as a percentage of total soil organic matter, were utilised as indicators of the state of the soil and consequently also its quality with respect to heavy metal contamination.
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