Mechanism of pyrene remediation in soil by biochar-immobilized laccase.
Hussain B, Ullah S, Iqbal N, Wu Y, Ma H
Phytoremediation
Pyrene quietly accumulates in garden and farm soil from car exhaust, wood smoke, and industrial fallout — and this wheat-straw charcoal trick could clean it out without the harsh chemicals that damage the living soil beneath your beds.
Pyrene is a nasty pollutant that sneaks into soil from burning fuels and factory waste, and from there into the food we grow. Scientists coated charcoal made from wheat straw with a natural enzyme that breaks down tough organic molecules, then mixed it into contaminated soil. The coated charcoal cleaned up more than 80% of the pyrene over 50 days and actually encouraged beneficial soil bacteria to thrive at the same time.
Key Findings
Biochar-immobilized laccase removed 80.33% of pyrene from soil after 50 days of incubation.
The immobilized enzyme retained over 50% activity across pH 3–7 and temperatures 20–60°C, and remained functional after 5 reuse cycles and 50 days of storage.
Soil enzyme activities (phenol oxidase, peroxidase, dehydrogenase) increased by 105–167% compared to untreated controls, and pyrene-degrading bacteria like Bacillus and Sphingobium became dominant.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers coated biochar (charred wheat straw) with a soil enzyme called laccase to break down pyrene, a toxic compound that builds up in farmland soil from combustion and industrial pollution. The treated biochar removed over 80% of pyrene in 50 days and also boosted native soil microbial life.
Abstract Preview
Pyrene accumulates in soil from a variety of sources, infiltrating the food chain and causing mutagenic and carcinogenic disorders in humans. Pyrene has since been effectively removed from soil usi...
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