Salt or No Salt: Influencing Biochar's Capacity for Zinc.

Phytoremediation has been utilized to address Zn contaminated soils; however, in places where Zn levels are too high to support plant growth, alternative strategies are required. Biochar has been proposed as a means of reducing heavy metal transport and bioavailability in contaminated soils, primarily through direct binding, or sorption. To target a particular contaminant such as Zn, it is necessary to understand how the presence of other cations in the soil will influence biochar-Zn interactions. This work will present the current model of competitive sorption of Zn on biochar, with particular attention given to the uptake and release of Ca and K. In addition, results from this study will aid in elucidating the mechanisms by which select metals are preferentially sorbed on biochar.