Professor, Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan

Dr. Yao-Tung Lin is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences at National Chung Hsing University (Taiwan) and the Director of Environmental Nano-Material Measurement Laboratory, President of National land and Resources Conservation Society, Academic Secretary of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University. His primary area of research interest is environmental nano-material, within this area he is especially interested in issues associated with the application and implication of nanotechnology on the Environmental and Agricultural systems.

Speech Title: Immobilization of Cu, Ni, Zn and Cr in Contaminant Soil Amended with Biochar Derived from Agricultural Waste

Abstract: Soil pollution with heavy metals in agricultural soils from, mining and industrial waste has become a worldwide problem. Food crops from heavy metal contaminated agricultural soils can pose risk to human health via consumption. Recently, the quantity of agricultural waste has been rising rapidly all over the world resulting to environmental problems. Therefore, there is a need to remediate the heavy metals contaminated soils and reuse the agricultural waste as soil amendment in the immobilization of heavy metals. The use of biochar to immobilize heavy metals in soils is an emerging and promising remediation approach due to the numerous binding sites for heavy metals, large specific surface area, porous structure and high pH. In this study, agricultural waste from rice straw and pineapple leaves will be treated by means of pyrolysis at various calcination temperatures. Total five types (i.e. long-term fertilization soil, without fertilization soil, alkaline soil, red soil and forest soil) of contaminant soils (copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn) and chromium (Cr) were used. The study will investigate the sorption-desorption test, and immobilization and bioavailability of heavy metals using rye grass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) when biochar is amended. The results of this study will discussed the sorption capacity of biochar at different pH and temperature, changes of soil properties and the speciation distribution of heavy metals in soils and plants. This study will help in reusing the agricultural waste for soil remediation of heavy metal contaminated agricultural soils.