Effects of Chitosan-modified Biochar on Formation of Methylmercury in Paddy Soils and Its Accumulation in Rice

Abstract

Rice is well known to accumulate methylmercury (MeHg) and the consumption of rice in mercury (Hg) polluted areas has been confirmed to be a primary source of MeHg exposure. Therefore, how to inhibit the formation and accumulation of MeHg in the paddy field system needs to be solved urgently. Chitosan modified biochar, a potential inhibitor, was selected in this study to explore its effect on MeHg production and accumulation in the paddy field system by analyzing the mercury content of interstitial water, soil, and rice plant tissues. The results showed that the addition of chitosan modified biochar could significantly reduce MeHg concentration in the soil with the decreased methylation rate of 51.1%-79.1%, and could also decrease the total mercury (THg) and MeHg content of interstitial water. At the maturation stage of rice, the MeHg content of rice roots treated with chitosan modified biochar (CMBC) was 73.1% lower than without biochar (CK1) and 62.0% lower than with unmodified biochar (CK2), and the rice MeHg was 75.8% lower than that of CK1 and 72.9% lower than that of CK2. In addition, the application of biochar could promote the growth of rice with the plant biomass of CMBC and CK2 of 1.6 and 1.7 times higher than that of CK1. Generally, the application of chitosan modified biochar into paddy soil could not only promote the growth of rice, but also inhibit the accumulation of MeHg in rice, suggesting that the chitosan modified biochar has a certain application value in the inhibition of the MeHg formation and accumulation in paddy field system.