The Application of Biochar Derived from Rice Husk Enhanced the Bioremediation of Petroleum-Contaminated Soil in Semi-Arid Areas
Zhe Liu,
Yang Zhang,
Xiumin Li,
Zenghui Sun,
Ruiqing Zhang,
Xuxiang Li,
Yichun Du
Affiliations
Zhe Liu
Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Yang Zhang
Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Xiumin Li
Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Zenghui Sun
Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Ruiqing Zhang
Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Xuxiang Li
Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Yichun Du
Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements, Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
With the continuous expansion of petroleum exploitation, a large amount of petroleum hydrocarbons has leaked into the Earth’s soil, which seriously threatens ecological health. Hence, a series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of natural attenuation (NA), rice husk (RH), and biochar derived from rice husk (RHBC) in enhancing the bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil. When the biodegradation time reached 100 d, the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) biodegradation amounts of NA, RH, and RHBC were 3688.2, 4557.9, and 5913.3 mg/kg, which was equal to the biodegradation efficiency of 32.8, 40.6, and 52.6%, respectively. Compared with NA and RH, the biodegradation efficiency of n-alkanes C11–C15 (C11 represents n-alkanes with 11 carbons, namely n-Hendecane) C16–C29, and C30–C40 in RHBC increased to 69.7~82.5%, 42.4~81.5%, and 30.2~48.1%, equivalent to 12.2~34.5%, 6.9~31.2%, and 13.5~37.1% more than NA and RH, respectively. Moreover, the half-life of biodegradation in RHBC was shorted to 83.3 d, equal to 49.7 and 67.9% of NA and RH, respectively. Furthermore, the application of RHBC could improve the dehydrogenase activity in soil and promote the growth and reproduction of petroleum-degrading bacteria (PDB), which enhances the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. This study exhibited that biochar formed from biomass pyrolysis is a potential biostimulator in enhancing the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil by indigenous bacteria.
