Biochar-assisted remediation of contaminated soils
Does reduced toxicity from PFOA immobilization outweigh impacts from metal and PAH contaminants in biochar
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21477047 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mikołaj Owsianiak (0000-0002-6834-6249, Technical University of Denmark, corresponding author), Ioanna Panteli (Technical University of Denmark), Erlend Sørmo (0000-0002-3345-8777, Norwegian University of Life Sciences), Peter Fantke (0000-0001-7148-6982, Goethe University Frankfurt), Gudny Flatabø (University of South-Eastern Norway), Gerard Cornelissen (0000-0003-2033-9514, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 121 |
| Pages | 108548 |
| Publication date | 2026-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Impact Assessment Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0195-9255 • E-ISSN: 1873-6432 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.eiar.2026.108548 |
| OpenAlex | W7163746987 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
Evaluation of biochar-assisted contaminant immobilization as a soil remediation technology must consider the trade-off between the positive effects of reduced toxic impacts through soil cleanup and climate change mitigation through carbon storage, and the negative impacts associated with contaminants introduced to soil with the biochar. Addressing this trade-off is challenging, as existing models and characterization factors used in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) are generally not representative of conditions at contaminated sites, particularly in the presence of sorbents such as biochar. In addition, comparative toxicity potentials (CTPs) of most per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) compounds are not available for soils. To address these challenges, we applied the USEtox framework to quantify environmental fate, ecosystem exposure, and ecotoxicological effects of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as the remediation target, and several metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) introduced via biochar amendment. The resulting CTPs were used in the LCIA phase of a life cycle assessment (LCA) of soil remediation based on the LC-Impact methodology. Biochar had a significant influence on the CTPs of PAHs, a moderate effect on PFOA, and a limited effect on metals. The trade-off between the immobilization of PFOA and the introduction of PAHs and metals was outweighed by the benefits of carbon storage and avoided incumbent waste management. These results suggest that the implementation of biochar-assisted remediation should be primarily guided by the carbon storage potential of the biochar and the characteristics of incumbent feedstock treatment pathways, whereas the effect of biochar on PFOA immobilization was less influential
Contamination · Environmental remediation · Heavy metals · Human decontamination · Metal · Toxicity · Heavy metals in environment · Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants · Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
The ecoinvent database version 3 (part I)
Lc‐impact
Critical review of methods and models for biodiversity impact assessment and their applicability in the LCA context
Application of a novel multi-criteria decision analysis approach for evaluating the sustainability of contaminated site management
Multi-tier life cycle assessment for evaluating low carbon strategies in soil remediation
Consistent quantification of climate impacts due to biogenic carbon storage across a range of bio-product systems
Alternatives evaluation and selection in development and environmental remediation projects
Updated indicators of Swedish national human toxicity and ecotoxicity footprints using USEtox 2.01
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Application of North European characterisation factors, population density and distance-to-coast grid data for refreshing the Swedish human toxicity and ecotoxicity footprint analysis
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |