Biochar & Lead

Jennifer White

New research out of the University of Sienna in Italy indicates that amending soil with biochar can reduce the availability of lead and thus reduce its uptake in lettuce.

In the study, lettuce was grown in lead-contaminated soils in several scenarios, including with 5% biochar, without biochar, and again in a soilless system with 1% biochar and without biochar. Plants grown in the biochar-amended soil saw a 50% reduction in the accumulation of lead in the leaves, while hydroponically grown lettuce plants with biochar had an even higher reduction at 80%.  

The authors stated that increased cation exchange capacity and pH likely limited the bioavailability of lead. The paper appeared in the October 2021 issue of Toxics. IG