Title：A Study of Cadmium Remediation and Mechanisms: Improvements in the Stability of Walnut Shell-derived Biochar
Journal/Publisher：ELSEVIER
Year：2018
Authors：Zhen Qiu, Jinhuan Chen, Jiawen Tang, Qiuzhuo Zhang
Abstract
Biochar has been recognized as an efficient soil amendment for cadmiumremediation in recent years. In the present study, biocharwas prepared using walnut shell, and itwas incubated in Cd(NO3)2 and kaolin for 15 days. Different chemical forms of cadmium in kaolin and biochar were determined, and the stability of biochar was evaluated by R50 using TGA analysis. It was found that walnut shell derived biochar could reduce the mobility of cadmium. After incubation, the R50, biochar value increased from 61.31% to 69.57%–72.24%, indicating that the stability of biochar was improved. The mechanisms that initiated improvements in biochar stability were investigated by XPS, XRD and SEM-EDS analysis. The result showed that the enhanced biochar stability is likely due to physical isolation and the formation of precipitates and complexes, formed on the surface or interior of the biochar. The results suggested that walnut shell-derived biochar can be used as a cadmium sorbent for soil remediation.
Keywords: biochar, cadmium, walnut shell, kaolin
