Exposure of agricultural crops to nanoparticle CeO2 in biochar-amended soil

• Ce accumulation in plants was minimally affected by the interactions between CeO2 ENPs and biochar in soil matrices.
• Biochar variety and soil type impacted Ce uptake, pigment production and lipid peroxidation content in plants.
• CeO2 associated with soil and biochar surfaces remained in the same chemical form/oxidation state after 28 days.

Biochar is seeing increased usage as an amendment in agricultural soils but the significance of nanoscale interactions between this additive and engineered nanoparticles (ENP) remains unknown. Corn, lettuce, soybean and zucchini were grown for 28 d in two different soils (agricultural, residential) amended with 0–2000 mg engineered nanoparticle (ENP) CeO2 kg−1 and biochar (350 °C or 600 °C) at application rates of 0–5% (w/w). At harvest, plants were analyzed for biomass, Ce content, chlorophyll and lipid peroxidation. Biomass from the four species grown in residential soil varied with species and biochar type. However, biomass in the agricultural soil amended with biochar 600 °C was largely unaffected. Biochar co-exposure had minimal impact on Ce accumulation, with reduced or increased Ce content occurring at the highest (5%) biochar level. Soil-specific and biochar-specific effects on Ce accumulation were observed in the four species. For example, zucchini grown in agricultural soil with 2000 mg CeO2 kg−1 and 350 °C biochar (0.5–5%) accumulated greater Ce than the control. However, for the 600 °C biochar, the opposite effect was evident, with decreased Ce content as biochar increased. A principal component analysis showed that biochar type accounted for 56–99% of the variance in chlorophyll and lipid peroxidation across the plants. SEM and μ-XRF showed Ce association with specific biochar and soil components, while μ-XANES analysis confirmed that after 28 d in soil, the Ce remained largely as CeO2. The current study demonstrates that biochar synthesis conditions significantly impact interactions with ENP, with subsequent effects on particle fate and effects.

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