Effects of Biochar and Zeoplant on Physical Properties of Soils Contaminated with Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPHs)

Extraction and exploitation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) led to the contamination of soil and environment. Therefore, remediation of TPHs contaminated soils is necessary. The effects of biochar produced from bagasse and zeoplant as organic amendments on some physical properties of contaminated soils with TPHs were evaluated in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province. Systematic soil sampling was performed based on the block with completely randomize design with three replications. The soil samples were transferred to the pots (7 kg) and treatments added to the soils in the 2, 4 and 6 % levels. Afterwards, the soil moisture was adjusted on 25 and 50% of field capacity (FC). All treatments were incubated for 100 days. After incubation, bulk density, porosity, FC, PWP, TPHs, water drop penetration time and the soil penetration class were measured. Meanwhile, the variation of hydrocarbons was analyzed using Gas Chromatography (GC). Based on the GC graph, approximately 50% of normal alkanes are C13-C20. Results showed that the application of biochar and zeoplant to the soil caused to decrease of bulk density and increase the total porosity, the permeability of soil, and water retention. Moreover, the efficiency of treatments was increased by increasing of treatment application. The highest efficiency was found with 6% of biochar with 25% of moisture content, also the 6% of zeoplant enhanced the PWP from 8% in the blank to 16%. So, the application of organic treatments improved soil properties; therefore, and have an important role on sustainable management.