A critical review of different factors governing the fate of pesticides in soil under biochar application

• Published in: The Science of the total environment 2020-04, Vol.711, p.134645-134645, Article 134645
• Main Authors: Khalid, Sana, Shahid, Muhammad, Murtaza, Behzad, Bibi, Irshad, Natasha, Asif Naeem, Muhammad, Niazi, Nabeel Khan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Biochar; Charcoal; Environmental Restoration and Remediation; Mineralization; Pesticides; Pesticides fate; Remediation; Soil; Soil Pollutants; Sorption
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134645

[Display omitted] •Extensive use of pesticides in agriculture led to environmental and health hazards.•Globally, biochar has appeared as a promising amendment for contaminated soils.•This review highlights the effects of biochar on fate of pesticides in soil.•Biochar affects pesticides sequestration/release in soil as a function of various factors.•Some drawbacks of biochar to pesticides-impacted soils should be considered. Pesticides are extensively used in the modern agricultural system. The inefficient and extensive use of pesticides during the last 5 to 6 decades inadvertently led to serious deterioration of environmental quality with health risk to living organisms, including humans. It is important to use some environmentally-friendly and sustainable approaches to remediate, restore and maintain soil quality. Biochar has gained considerable attention globally as a promising soil amendment because it has the ability to adsorb and as such minimize the bioavailability of pesticides in soils. This review emphasizes the recent trends and implications of biochar in pesticide-contaminated soils, as well as highlights need of the pesticides use and associated environmental issues in context of the biochar application. The overarching aim of this review is to signify the role of biochar on primary processes such as effect of biochar on the persistence, mineralization, leaching and efficacy of pesticides in soil. Notably, the effects of biochar on pesticide adsorption-desorption, degradation and bioavailability under various operating/production conditions are critically discussed. This review delineates the indirect impact of biochar on pesticides persistence in soils and proposes key recommendations for future research which are essential for the remediation and restoration of pesticides-impacted soils.