Organic amendments of contaminated soil for improving phyto-assisted bioremediation

This paper reports the application of organic amendments, such as biochar (BC) or compost (CMP) in a Plant-assisted bioremediation (PABR) strategy of a soil contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals (HM). BC and CMP were applied for improving PABR in specific plots where the highest amounts of PCBs were present. Before the organic treatments and six months after it, soil samples and plant tissue (leaves, shoots and roots) were collected from each investigated plot and chemical and microbiological analyses performed. Moreover, micro-X ray fluorescence (µXRF) analysis was performed on soil and biomass (leaves, roots). Preliminary results evidenced different effects of the CMP or BC on promoting PCB and HM removal, depending on the initial pollutant concentrations