Wheat Straw Biochar as a Specific Sorbent of Cobalt in Soil

There is an urgent need to search for new sorbents of pollutants presently delivered to the environment. Recently biochar has received much attention as a low-cost, highly effective heavy metal adsorbent. Biochar has been identified as an efficient material for cobalt (Co) immobilization from waters; however, little is known about the role of Co immobilization in soil. Hence, in this study, a batch experiment and a long-term incubation experiment with biochar application to multi-contaminated soil with distinct properties (sand, loam) were conducted to provide a brief explanation of the potential mechanisms of Co (II) sorption on wheat straw biochar and to describe additional processes that modify material efficiency for metal sorption in soil. The soil treatments with 5% (v/w) wheat straw biochar proved to be efficient in reducing Co mobility and bioavailability. The mechanism of these processes could be related to direct and indirect effects of biochar incorporation into soil. The FT-IR analysis confirmed that hydroxyl and carboxyl groups present on the biochar surface played a dominant role in Co (II) surface complexation. The combined effect of pH, metal complexation capacity, and the presence of Fe and Mn oxides added to wheat straw biochar resulted in an effective reduction of soluble Co (II), showing high efficiency of this material for cobalt sorption in contaminated soils.