Jim Jian Wang

Louisiana State University | LSU · School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the properties and mechanisms of heavy metal adsorption by biochar derived from fallen leaves (FLB). The optimum manufacturing temperature of FLB for heavy metal removal was 650 °C, which resulted in a high carbon content and specific surface area. The maximum adsorption capacities of Cd and Pb by FLB650 were 86....

Purpose Salinity and vegetation can significantly affect the productions and emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in wetland soils. We aim to investigate the effect of salinity on the productions and emissions of GHGs in marsh soils during the decomposition of wetland plants under different scenarios. Methods Soils and wetland plants collected fro...

Alkali-enhanced biochars, as an environment-friendly material, combine the advantages of biomass nutrients and carbon fixation. In this study, rice-residue-derived biochars were evaluated for P and C solubility and their amendment upon plant P uptake. Biochars from rice straw (RS) and husk (RH), including raw biochar without alkaline pretreatment (...

Pasturelands contribute significantly to the global CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions. These gas emissions are influenced by the amount and type of N-fertilizers applied and local climate. Recent studies showed potential of biochar and N-stabilizer compounds in minimizing CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions by regulating N-release from N-fertilizers. The present s...

Effect of solid digestate biochar (DB) on nitrogen cycle and balance was evaluated during composting by adding DB into mixtures of pig manure and Lycium chinensis branch filings. Results indicated that DB addition improved composting microenvironment and increased the total N content of the final product. Furthermore, N balance calculation indicate...

One-third of maize cultivation in Turkey has been performed in nutrient-rich soils of the coastal agricultural lands of the Black Sea Region, which is the country's granaries. However, the yield of this chief crop is affected by Cu toxicity due to a decades-long abandoned opencast Cu-mine. As part of the modern agenda, against this problem, we valo...

Iron-impregnated biochar (Fe-BC) was developed through one-step pyrolysis, characterized, and directly compared with Fe-impregnated activated carbon (Fe-AC) for the removal of methylene blue (MB) in a heterogeneous Fenton reaction (HFR). Fe-BC exhibited significantly higher Fe impregnation efficiency than Fe-AC at the same pyrolysis temperature of...

Recent studies have shown that silicon (Si) dissolution from biochar may be influenced by the pyrolysis temperature. In addition, the enhancement of biochar by treatment with alkali has been proposed to produce a Si source that can be used for environmentally friendly plant disease control. In this study, biochars from rice straw and rice husk pret...

Inadequate handling of poultry manure can cause significant releases of NH3, heavy metals, and estrogen, thereby impairing environmental quality. This study was a composting experiment involving the combination of poultry manure with plant residues (corn stalks, mushroom residues, and vegetable straw), as well as with either wheat stalk biochar (WB...

This study was conducted to evaluate the phosphate sorption properties of red and brown muds, with particular focus on the reaction time. The amount of phosphate adsorbed by these two muds correspond better with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order models than with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-first-order models. The maximum sorption...

Thirteen states associated with the Southern Extension and Research Activities Information Exchange Group‐6 (SERA‐IEG‐6:) agreed to share their soil test based P and K rate recommendations for 9 major crops. The objectives were to compare fertilizer P and K rate recommendations, look for opportunities to rationalize similar recommendations across s...

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer management in agricultural field affects soil N budget that can have significant implication in greenhouse gas emission and environmental pollution. This study investigates the effects of nitrification inhibitors Dicyandiamide (DCD) and 3,4-dimethyl pyrazole phosphate (DMPP) with urea application on soil N budget and microbi...

In this paper, SERS substrates with Zn/Au-Ag/Ag sandwich-structures are prepared for detection of estrogen compounds. The substrates exhibit a high SERS activity for the rough surface with massive Raman "hot spots" and the interfacial charge transfer that favors the measured molecule adsorption. With the substrates, the es-trogen compounds, estrone...

The purpose of this study was to produce rendering animal carcass residue char (RACR-C) by pyrolyzing the solid residues of low-recyclable rendered pig carcasses and to evaluate their cadmium (Cd) adsorption characteristics and mechanisms. As the pyrolysis temperature increased, the inorganic content of RACR-C increased, while the carbon content de...

Nutrient stoichiometry and trade-offs focusing on the mass balance of multiple nutrient elements play important roles in the response mechanism of plants to environmental stresses in wetlands. Nonetheless, little is known about the response dynamics and trade-offs of nutrient elements of wetland plants, especially potassium (K), under hydrological...

This study investigated the amendment of sugarcane bagasse biochar (SCBB) on soil fertility, crop yield, and nutrient loss in two different‐textured soils under sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) production. Eleven megagrams per hectare of freshly incorporated biochar increased yield of plant cane by 22% in light‐texture soil (LS) and 12% in heavy‐textured...

Biochar as a soil amendment has been proposed for enhancing carbon sequestration and manure-borne hormone contaminant remediation. However, little is known about the ecological risk of biochar application in the soil with hormone contamination. This study investigated the influence of biochar in three manure-impacted soils contaminated with estroge...

We evaluated size distribution and mass concentrations of fine (particulate matter < 2.5 μm, PM 2.5) and coarse (particulate matter = 2.5-10 μm, PM 2.5-10) particles released during sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) harvesting operations, including cutting of green cane (GH), burning of standing cane (SB), cane harvest cutting after SB (BH), and ground bu...

Purpose Biochar has been used as an amendment to immobilize toxic metals (TMs) and increase nutrient content in the contaminated soil. In this study, Ca(H2PO4)2-engineered swine manure biochar (PSMB) and swine manure biochar (SMB) were prepared and investigated to evaluate their effects on the availability of toxic metals (Cd and Pb) and soil nutri...

Fe-impregnated biochar (Fe-BC) as high-efficiency heterogeneous Fenton catalyst was synthesized and evaluated in detail for its catalytic activity, stability and reusability under various conditions. The optimal conditions for the Fenton oxidation of methylene blue (MB) as model dye were determined as 0.075 g/L H2O2, 0.5 g/L Fe-BC for 0.1 g/L MB, w...

Remediation of wetland soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons is a challenging task. Biosurfactant and biochar have been used in oil remediation. However, little is known about the ecotoxicity of these materials when applied in wetland ecosystems. In this study, the ecotoxicity of biochar and rhamnolipid (RL) biosurfactant as crude oil reme...

Decontamination of oil spills from coastal wetland soils requires a delicate approach. A microcosm study was carried out to investigate the impact of integrated application of biochar, rhamnolipid (RL) biosurfactant and nitrogen (N) on petroleum hydrocarbon remediation in a Louisiana coastal saline marsh and their impact on soil microbial community...

The feasibility of ball-milled magnetic nanobiochars (BMBCs) derived from wheat straw for adsorptive removal of tetracycline (TC) and Hg(II) from aqueous solution was assessed against that of pristine magnetic biochars (PMBCs). Ball milling conversion of PMBCs into BMBCs greatly improved TC and Hg(II) removal, and ≥ 99% TC and Hg(II) were adsorbed...

Recent studies have shown the effect of nitrate (NO3-) on carbon gas emissions from wetland soils that contradict thermodynamic predictions. In this study, CO2 production in three Mississippi River deltaic plain wetland soils (forest swamp, freshwater and saline marshes) with the presence of different NO3- levels (0.2, 2.0, and 3.2 mM) was evaluate...

The macrolide antibiotic tylosin is widely used in animal production, but its environmental fate is not fully understood. Objectives of this study were to determine the effect of pH on tylosin A sorption and desorption in three sandy loam soils from Louisiana, USA, that had long histories of poultry waste application, to model sorption and desorpti...

Recycling food waste for beneficial use is becoming increasingly important in resource-limited economy. In this study, waste chicken bones of different parts from restaurant industry were pyrolyzed at 600 °C and evaluated for char physicochemical properties and Pb sorption characteristics. Lead adsorption isotherms by different chicken bone chars w...

Recent studies indicate that loss of soil organic matter (SOM) from coastal wetlands can contribute to the hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico along the Louisiana coast. In this study, coastal marsh soil profiles of two contrasting basins were investigated for lignin composition in order to assess organic matter source and degradation status und...

This study investigated the characteristics of biochars derived using various pine tree residues and pyrolysis temperatures and evaluated their Cd adsorption behaviors. The characteristics of pine tree residue biochars (PRBs) were dominantly affected by the pyrolysis temperature, and the optimum pyrolysis temperature for Cd adsorption was 600 °C. T...

Silicon (Si) is known to alleviate biotic and abiotic stress, and to reduce the development of fungal diseases in a number of different pathosystems. Biochar-based Si fertilizers, especially highly efficient alkali-enhanced biochar for recycling phytolith, has been recently proposed as a stress-alleviating amendment but its evaluation on plant dise...

Disposal of heavy metal-polluted biomass obtained from bioremediation through harmless approaches is a big challenge. In this work, we investigated the effects of pyrolysis temperatures on the conversion of exhausted Cu(II)-laden biomass into Cu nanoparticles (NPs) embedded biochar composite (CBC), Cu(II) chemical form and behavior variation, and a...

The purpose of this study was to determine the properties of biochar prepared at higher than normal biochar production temperature and to evaluate adsorption/desorption characteristics for three commonly used dyes of different charge and molecular nature: Methylene Blue (MB), Orange G (OG) and Congo Red (CR). The switchgrass-biochar was prepared at...

A new heterogeneous Fenton catalyst, Fe-impregnated biochar catalyst (Fe-BC) was synthesized and evaluated in detail for its catalytic activity with sulfate radical under various conditions. The optimum conditions for the removal of Eriochrome Black T (EBT) by Fe-BC were determined as 0.27 g/L K2S2O8 (PS) and 0.5 g/L Fe-BC for 0.1 g/L EBT, and whic...

Reclamation of marshlands for agricultural land use is widespread. An example of large-scale land use shifts is evident in the Everglades Agricultural Area of Florida where freshwater wetlands were converted to sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) production. Such land-use shifts can markedly influence soil organic matter cycling and processes. The ef...

Biochar has been used to remove heavy metals from aqueous solutions. In this study, a sulfurized wood biochar (SWB) by direct impregnation with elemental sulfur was produced and evaluated along with pristine wood biochar (WB) for adsorption characteristics and mechanism of mercury. Mercury adsorption by WB and SWB was well described by Langmuir mod...

Several studies have reported that open municipal dumpsites in developing countries are acting as a major source for a wide variety of pollutants. In developing nations, many dumpsites are located in the urban centers or even within the residential boundaries. Contaminants released during incomplete combustion of municipal solid waste have profound...

Core Ideas Application of urea led to higher N2O emissions than urea–ammonium nitrate in sugarcane. Residue retention led to higher N2O and CH4 emissions irrespective of N source. Both N source and residue management did not affect CO2 emissions. Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a major row‐crop in the southern United States with high rates of N‐ferti...

This work prepares a novel CeO2–MoS2 hybrid magnetic biochar (CMMB) for the adsorptive removal of Pb(II) and humate from aqueous solution. The CMMB was evaluated against magnetic biochar (MB). The results showed that CMMB exhibited strong magnetic separation ability. Hybridization of CMMB greatly improved Pb(II) and humate removal compared to MB, w...

Poultry litter (PL) serves as a multi-nutrient fertilizer. However, compared to inorganic fertilizers, PL requires high rate of application to meet crop nutrient requirements due to relatively low concentration and easy loss of nutrients. A 4-yr field experiment was conducted with cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) to examine the effect of the N-stabil...

In this study, nutrient properties and carbon sequestration potential of biochars derived from chicken manure (CM) impregnated with mineral salts (calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, ferric chloride) were evaluated. Pretreatment with mineral salts reduced phosphorus (P) availability via the formation of insoluble metal phosphate minerals. Less ca...

Bio-based alternative Si fertilizers were developed by pyrolyzing Si-rich agricultural crop residue biomass of rice straw, sugarcane harvest residue, miscanthus, and switchgrass with KOH pretreatment at 0:100, 1:100, 5:100, 10:100, 25:100 and 50:100 KOH:Feedstock biomass ratios (termed 0 KB, 1 KB, 5 KB, 10 KB, 25 KB and 50 KB) and were evaluated fo...

Metal oxide-Carbon composites have been developed tailoring towards specific functionalities for removing pollutants from contaminated environmental systems. In this study, we synthesized a novel CaO-MgO hybrid carbon composite for removal of phosphate and humate by co-pyrolysis of dolomite and sawdust at various temperatures. Increasing of pyrolys...

The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) has favorable attributes for producing biofuels. Two study sites were established on retired agricultural fields in the LMAV to explore switchgrass (SWITCH) and eastern cottonwood (CTWD) as biofuel feedstocks. A soybean-sorghum rotation (CROP) was also established as a conventional cropping system. Soil...

Biochar shows promise as a potential lowecost sorbent for removing oxyanions from wastewater. However, this generic material exhibits a very wide range in porosity, surface area and surface chemical properties that depend on the starting biomass composition and the conditions under which it is converted to char. Without dosing either reactant bioma...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of crawfish char (CFC) derived at different pyrolysis temperature and to evaluate its adsorption characteristics on phosphate. Phosphate adsorption by CFC occurred rapidly at the beginning of the reaction, and the time to reach equilibrium was dependent on the pyrolysis temperature. M...

Enhancing the contaminant adsorption capacity is a key factor affecting utilization of carbon-based adsorbents in wastewater treatment and encouraging development of biomass thermo-disposal. In this study, a novel MgO hybrid sponge-like carbonaceous composite (HSC) derived from sugarcane leafy trash was prepared through an integrated adsorption-pyr...

In this study, one of the largest estuaries in the Gulf Coast of USA was investigated for Cu forms and fractionations. Both the water and sediment samples in subsegments of the Lake Pontchartrain basin were collected and Cu forms in dissolved phase and sediment phase were analyzed. The BCR sequential extraction procedure was used to extract Cu in e...

Mercury adsorption characteristics of Mississippi River deltaic plain (MRDP) freshwater marsh soil in the Louisiana Gulf coast were evaluated under various conditions. Mercury adsorption was well described by pseudo-second order and Langmuir isotherm models with maximum adsorption capacity of 39.8 mg g-1. Additional fitting of intraparticle model s...

This study was conducted to evaluate the catalytic activity of Fe-impregnated sugarcane biochar (FSB) for removing azo dye Orange G (OG) from solution under various Fenton-like oxidation conditions. The optimum molar Fe concentration for impregnation to achieve maximum catalytic activity of FSB in Fenton-like reaction with acceptable effluent Fe re...

Biochar has been suggested as new adsorbent for removing heavy metals from aqueous solutions. However, adsorption nature of biochar is influenced by feedstock-specific properties. In this study, experiments were performed to characterize the effect of cation exchange on adsorption behavior of Cu and Zn in single- and binary-metal systems by rice st...

Effects of four different metal oxide nanoparticles (nMgO, nAl2O3, nTiO2 and nFe2O3) on phosphate adsorption were compared in the batch experiment. The influences of solution pH, contact time and coexist ions on phosphate adsorbed by nMgO were examined. Further, the phosphate adsorption mechanism onto nMgO was evaluated by XRD and XPS analysis. And...

Soil contamination with heavy metals due to mining activities poses risks to ecological safety and human well-being. Limited studies have investigated heavy metal pollution due to artisanal mining. The present study focused on soil contamination and the health risk in villages in China with historical artisanal mining activities. Heavy metal levels...

A highly cross-linked Thiocarbohydrazide-modified chitosan (TCCS) gel was synthesized by using formaldehyde as linkage, and was used in removal of Cd(II) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The results showed that TCCS could be used in a wider pH range and had higher adsorption abilities than raw chitosan for Cd(II) and Cr(VI) ions. The maximum adsor...

In recent years, considerable studies have been devoted to investigating the effect of biochar application on organic solid waste composting. This review provides an up-to-date overview of biochar amendment on composting processes and compost quality. Biochar production, characteristics, and its application coupled with the basic concepts of compos...

The objective of this study was to evaluate adsorption characteristics of phosphate by rapid cooled basic oxygen furnace slag (RC-BOFS) through various conditions and removal rate of phosphate in small-scale constructed wetland with RC-BOFS as filter material. The phosphate adsorption by RC-BOFS was rapid in the first 0.5 h and the pseudo-second-or...

Minimizing soil ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission factors (EFs) has significant implications in regional air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions besides nitrogen (N) nutrient loss. The aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of different N fertilizer treatments of conventional urea, polymer-coated urea, ammonia sulfate,...

Metal oxide-biochar composites have been used for removing pollutants from aqueous systems. In this work, optimized MgO-impregnated porous biochar was prepared using an integrated adsorption-pyrolysis method for absorption of phosphate, ammonium and organic matter (humate). Results revealed that the MgO-biochar was comprised of nano-sized MgO flake...

Particulate matter (PM) of different sizes (PM10 and PM2.5) from biomass burning is one of the major contributors of ambient air pollution. The objective of this research was to characterize chemical composition and morphological features of the particles produced during harvesting events of sugarcane in Louisiana, USA. Particles were collected on...

Nitrification and denitrification are the main contributors to soil N2O production and emission, and distinguishing their contributions to N2O emission under natural conditions is vital to deciphering nitrogen biogeochemistry. Stable isotopes have provided insight to resolve this problem, of which δ¹⁵N2Obulk (¹⁵N abundance in N2O), dual isotopes (δ...

This study investigated silicon (Si) fertilizer application in apple orchard, Si fertilizers were conducted at 50 and 100 g/tree, with humic acid and citric acid, respectively. The results showed that silicon accumulation in apple tree was influenced by type and amount of fertilizer, and was higher in organic silicon treatment. Silicon content in l...

The seasonal variation in physico-chemical properties, anions, and the heavy metal (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentration was evaluated in water from nine different rivers in Lake Pontchartrain Basin, Louisiana, USA. The water quality parameters were compared with toxicity reference values (TRV), US Environmental Protection Agency (USEP...

Mg/Al ratio plays a significant role for anion adsorption by Mg/Al-layered double hydroxides (Mg/Al-LDHs) modified biochar. In this study, Mg/Al-LDHs biochar with different Mg/Al ratios (2, 3, 4) were prepared by co-precipitation for phosphate removal from aqueous solution. Factors on phosphate adsorption including Mg/Al ratio, pH, and the presence...

The present study deals with the preparation of a novel MgO-impregnated magnetic biochar (MMSB) for phosphate recovery from aqueous solution. The MMSB was evaluated against sugarcane harvest residue biochar (SB) and magnetic biochar without Mg (MSB). The results showed that increasing Mg content in MMSB greatly improved the phosphate adsorption com...

The removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from aqueous solution by thiosemicarbazide modified chitosan (TCS) was studied in this article. The synthesized TCS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), element analysis, N2 adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron...

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform experienced an explosion which triggered the largest marine oil spill in US history, resulting in the release of ∼795 million L of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Once oil reached the surface, changes in overall chemical composition occurred due to volatilization of the smaller carbon chain c...

Pasture systems for grass-fed beef production in the Gulf Coast region were evaluated for profitability and sustainability over the period 2009/2010 to 2011/2012. May-weaned steers were divided into groups and randomly placed into different pasture systems. Data on input usage, output quantities, and carbon emissions were recorded and analyzed. The...

The negative effects of agricultural burning are well-known, although the actual impact area of different activities has not previously been quantified. An elastic backscatter lidar system was used to examine the impact-area size and dispersion of smoke generated from different types of sugarcane burning activities; pre-harvest (standing) burning a...