Can polyethylene passive samplers predict polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) uptake by earthworms and turnips in a biochar amended soil?

A pot experiment was carried out in which aged polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contaminated soil was amended with biochar, and three phases: earthworms, turnips and polyethylene (PE) passive samplers, were added simultaneously in order to investigate changes in bioavailability of PCB following biochar amendment. Two biochars were used: one made from rice husk in Indonesia using local techniques and the other made from mixed wood shavings using more advanced technology. The biochars were amended at 1 and 4% doses. The overall accumulation of PCBs to the phases followed the order: earthworm lipid > PE > turnip. The rice husk biochar reduced PCB accumulation to a greater degree than the mixed wood biochar for all phases, however there was no effect of dose for either biochar. Earthworm uptake was reduced between 52% and 91% for rice husk biochar and by 19% to 63% for mix wood biochar. Turnip uptake was not significantly reduced by biochar amendment. Phase to soil accumulation factors (PSAF) were around 0.5 for turnips, approximately 5 for PE and exceeded 100 for earthworms. This study demonstrates that both biochars can be a sustainable alternative for in situ soil remediation and that PE can be used as tool to simulate the uptake in earthworms and thus remediation effectiveness.publishedVersio

Can polyethylene passive samplers predict polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) uptake by earthworms and turnips in a biochar amended soil?

A pot experiment was carried out in which aged polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contaminated soil was amended with biochar, and three phases: earthworms, turnips and polyethylene (PE) passive samplers, were added simultaneously in order to investigate changes in bioavailability of PCB following biochar amendment. Two biochars were used: one made from rice husk in Indonesia using local techniques and the other made from mixed wood shavings using more advanced technology. The biochars were amended at 1 and 4% doses. The overall accumulation of PCBs to the phases followed the order: earthworm lipid > PE > turnip. The rice husk biochar reduced PCB accumulation to a greater degree than the mixed wood biochar for all phases, however there was no effect of dose for either biochar. Earthworm uptake was reduced between 52% and 91% for rice husk biochar and by 19% to 63% for mix wood biochar. Turnip uptake was not significantly reduced by biochar amendment. Phase to soil accumulation factors (PSAF) were around 0.5 for turnips, approximately 5 for PE and exceeded 100 for earthworms. This study demonstrates that both biochars can be a sustainable alternative for in situ soil remediation and that PE can be used as tool to simulate the uptake in earthworms and thus remediation effectiveness