Kinetics of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Degradation over Time in Soil Amended with Wheat Straw and Spent Mushroom Substrate Biochars

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Civil, Water and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

2 Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran - Isfahan Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Isfahan, Iran

10.30466/asr.2026.56232.1888

Abstract

Biochars, compared to other soil amendments, possess inherent properties such as high porosity, large specific surface area, abundant functional groups, and environmental safety, making them highly effective for remediating contaminated soils. This study aimed to investigate the kinetics of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) degradation in contaminated soil under the influence of two types of biochar, namely wheat straw biochar (WSB) and spent mushroom substrate biochar (SMSB), applied at different rates.
The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized factorial design with three factors: biochar type (two levels), biochar application rate (five levels: 0, 10, 20, 30, and 50 g kg⁻¹), and incubation time (six levels: 6, 12, 18, 24, 42, and 60 days), each in triplicate. Total petroleum hydrocarbons and microbial respiration were measured at defined intervals, and data were analyzed using R software (version 4.5).
Two-way ANOVA results showed that biochar treatment, incubation time, and their interaction had significant effects on both TPH concentration and microbial respiration (p < 0.001). The degradation potential and reduction in TPH were evaluated using first-order and second-order kinetic models. For wheat straw biochar treatments, both models provided good fits with NRMSE < 5% and R² > 0.94, indicating reliable performance. In contrast, for SMS biochar, the models fitted well at lower application rates, whereas higher doses showed less accurate fitting, likely due to complex sorption–degradation interactions.
Overall, the results demonstrated that biochars, particularly SMS biochar, significantly enhanced the biodegradation rate of TPH and reduced its half-life in contaminated soils. Therefore, biochar application can be considered an effective, sustainable, and eco-friendly strategy for improving soil quality and mitigating petroleum hydrocarbon pollution

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Applied Soil Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 14 June 2026

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  • Receive Date: 30 May 2025
  • Revise Date: 10 November 2025
  • Accept Date: 15 November 2025

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