Effects of biochar amendment on the sorption and degradation of atrazine in different soils

Sugarcane top-derived biochar was added to an alluvial soil, a moist soil and a paddy soil at the rate of 0.2% and 0.5% (w/w). After the addition of 0.2% and 0.5% biochar, the sorption coefficients (Kd) of atrazine (Ce = 10 mg L−1) were increased by 26.97% and 79.58%, respectively, in the moist soil with a low level of total organic carbon (TOC), while it increased by 31.43% and 60.06%, respectively, in the paddy soil with a high TOC content. The half-time persistence values of atrazine in the alluvial soil, moist soil and paddy soil were 28.18, 23.74 and 39.84 d, respectively. In the 0.2% biochar amended soils, the corresponding half-times of atrazine for the alluvial soil, moist soil and paddy soil were extended by 10.33, 11.81 and 1.42 d, and they were prolonged by 16.83, 17.52 and 14.74 d, respectively, in the 0.5% biochar amended soils. Atrazine degradation products (deisopropylatrazine and desethylatrazine) decreased after they accumulated to 3.2 and 1 mg kg−1, respectively. Generally, increasing sorption was accompanied by decreasing degradation of atrazine which is found in biochar-amended soils.