الفهرس 
Title : The use of biochar produced from agricultural wastes in reducing the concentration of heavy metals in the soil of Egypt and Kenya
ContantsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
In the present study, biochar was prepared from agricultural waste rice straw. A synthetic polluted soil was prepared to contain 10 and 500 mg/ Kg of cadmium and lead, respectively. Soil portions were thoroughly mixed (on weight basis) with rice straw biochar (RSB) at rates of 0% (control), 1.25% (T1), 2.5% (T2), 5.0% (T3) and 10% (T4) in plastic pots. The pots were incubated for 30 days without direct exposure to sunlight. After incubation period the soil samples were analyzed. The results showed that there was a significant (P<0.05) increase in soil pH and EC due to addition of biochar. Biochar addition to soil resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) greater soil total carbon content compared to the control soil. The soil organic matter significantly increased (P < 0.05) following the application of biochar. Also, the biochar addition significantly (P<0.05) increased moisture content of soil. Generally, the application of biochar into soil slightly increased the total N contents of the biochar treated soils. The concentration of available P increased after the addition of biochar to the soil and was increased by increasing the biochar level. The addition of biochar at a level of 10% led to a significant (P<0.05) increase of available P compared to the control and other treated groups. The concentration of potassium in biochar amended soils significantly (p<0.05) increased by increasing the amount of biochar application rates. The addition of rice straw biochar enhanced the availability of plant nutritive elements as indicated by the increase of K, Ca, and Mg concentrations. In general, biochar additions increased the levels of plant macronutrients and had a little effect on micronutrients. The concentrations of plant available Pb and Cd in all biochar treatments were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than those of the control treatment