Influence of Pyrolysis Temperature on Biochar Property and Function as a Heavy Metal Sorbent in Soil
Abstract
While a large-scale soil amendment of biochars continues to receive interest for enhancing crop yields and to remediate contaminated sites, systematic study is lacking in how biochar properties translate into purported functions such as heavy metal sequestration. In this study, cottonseed hulls were pyrolyzed at five temperatures (200, 350, 500, 650, and 800 °C) and characterized for the yield, moisture, ash, volatile matter, and fixed carbon contents, elemental composition (CHNSO), BET surface area, pH, pHpzc, and by ATR-FTIR. The characterization results were compared with the literature values for additional source materials: grass, wood, pine needle, and broiler litter-derived biochars with and without post-treatments. At respective pyrolysis temperatures, cottonseed hull chars had ash content in between grass and wood chars, and significantly lower BET surface area in comparison to other plant source materials considered. The N:C ratio reached a maximum between 300 and 400 °C for all biomass sources considered, while the following trend in N:C ratio was maintained at each pyrolysis temperature: wood≪cottonseed hull≈grass≈pine needle≪broiler litter. To examine how biochar properties translate into its function as a heavy metal (NiII, CuII, PbII, and CdII) sorbent, a soil amendment study was conducted for acidic sandy loam Norfolk soil previously shown to have low heavy metal retention capacity. The results suggest that the properties attributable to the surface functional groups of biochars (volatile matter and oxygen contents and pHpzc) control the heavy metal sequestration ability in Norfolk soil, and biochar selection for soil amendment must be made case-by-case based on the biochar characteristics, soil property, and the target function.
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Low specific surface areas with low ash content were observed in biochars produced from cotton seed hull (4.7 m2/g), poultry litter (17.7 m2/g) and dairy manures (13.0 m2/g).
“Low specific surface areas with low ash content were observed in biochars produced from cotton seed hull (4.7 m 2 /g) (Uchimiya et al. 2011b), poultry litter (17.7 m 2 / g) (Novak et al. 2009) and dairy manures (13.0 m 2 / g) (Cao and Harris 2010).”
From Biochar physicochemical properties: pyrolysis temperature and feedstock kind effects (2020) · cites this paper as Uchimiya et al. 2011b
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“It suggests an inherited effect of raw biomass chemical composition on O:C, possibly due to the formation of different products during pyrolysis of compounds with high O content, as discussed in Uchimiya et al. (2011) and references therein.”
- Authors
- Uchimiya, M., Wartelle, L. H., Klasson, K. T., Fortier, C. A., & Lima, I. M.
- Affiliations
- Southern Regional Research Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Uchimiya, Minori
- Venue
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2011-02-24
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 2501-2510
- ISSN
- 0021-8561 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5118
- OpenAlex
- W2318769062
- Cited by
- 854
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 54 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 63 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 75 · 2020: 88 · 2019: 69 · 2018: 69 · 2017: 60 · 2016: 41 · 2015: 53 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 26
- FWCI
- 31.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Heavy metals in environment
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes
- Keywords
- biochar, pyrolysis temperature, heavy metal adsorption, cottonseed hulls, soil amendment, biochar properties, BET surface area, nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, surface functional groups, nickel, copper, lead, cadmium, soil remediation
- MeSH terms
- Adsorption, Charcoal, Soil Pollutants, Temperature, Metals, Heavy, Environmental Restoration and Remediation
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