Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Physical, Chemical and Biological Characterization of Six Biochars Produced for the Remediation of Contaminated Sites
Published on: November 28, 2014
Metal content of charcoal in mining-impacted wetland sediments
Leslie L Baker1, Daniel G Strawn, William C Rember
1Division of Soil and Land Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2339, USA. lbaker@uidaho.edu
Abstract:
Charcoal is well known to accumulate contaminants, but its association with metals and other toxic elements in natural settings has not been well studied. Association of contaminants with charcoal in soil and sediment may affect their mobility, bioavailability, and fate in the environment. In this paper, natural wildfire charcoal samples collected from a wetland site that has been heavily contaminated by mine waste were analyzed for elemental contents and compared to the surrounding soil. Results showed that the charcoal particles were enriched over the host soils by factors of two to 40 times in all contaminant elements analyzed. Principal component analysis was carried out on the data to determine whether element enrichment patterns in the soil profile charcoal are related to those in the soils. The results suggest that manganese and zinc concentrations in charcoal are controlled by geochemical processes in the surrounding soil, whereas the concentrations of arsenic, lead, zinc, iron, phosphorus, and sulfur in charcoal are unrelated to those in the surrounding soil. This study shows evidence that charcoal in soils can have a distinct and important role in controlling contaminant speciation and fate in the environment.
Related Concept Videos
Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS): Interferences
Acid Mine Drainage
Gravimetry: Inorganic And Organic Precipitating Agents
Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry (ICP–MS): Overview

