Release of pentachlorophenol from black carbon-inclusive sediments under different environmental conditions

To investigate the feasibility of using black carbon (BC) in the control of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) in sediment, we added BCs from various sources (rice straw charcoal (RC), fly ash (FC) and soot (SC)) to sediment to create different BC-inclusive sediments and studied the release of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in the sediments under different condition. Different pH values had no obvious effect on the release of PCP in BC-inclusive sediment, but solid/liquid ratio, temperature, salinity and dissolved organic matter (DOM) content had significant influences on the release of PCP in all sediments except the RC-inclusive sediment. Adding 2% RC to sediment resulted in a 90% decrease in PCP release, which was a greater decrease than observed with FC- and SC-inclusive sediments. Therefore, from the standpoint of HOC release, the application of RC is feasible for organic pollution control in the water environment.

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► The release of PCP from black carbon (BC)-inclusive sediment was studied.
► pH value had no obvious effect on the release of PCP from BC-inclusive sediment.
► Solid/liquid ratio, temperature, salinity and DOM obviously influence PCP release.
► The addition of 2% rice straw BC (RC) to sediment reduced PCP release by 90%.
► RC is more suitable for organic pollution control than fly ash and soot BC.