Plant uptake of personal care products and biochar-assisted immobilization in soil: an appraisal

Purpose: Personal care products (PCPs) have seen a growth in sales and use over the past three decades, which has led to an increase in their prevalence in the environment with unknown repercussions. As an illustration, the use of recycled water for irrigation causes PCPs to accumulate in crops and enter the human food chain. Therefore, this review is the first attempt to devise strategies that limit PCP uptake by plants. Materials and methodology: We have reviewed literature on biochar, which is an emerging promising adsorbent which boosts the physicochemical and biological properties of soil and improves the contaminant retention ability of soil, especially for pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Critical assessment of literature was conducted and discussed the occurrence of PCPs in the environment and biochar’s role in immobilizing/releasing PCPs. Results and discussion: It was understood that reviews on effects of biochar in soil on plant uptake and immobilization of PCPs are scarce. The present review identified biosolid application and wastewater irrigation are the main sources of PCPs in the environment. Immobilization of PCPs in the presence of biochar in soil depends on the biochar feedstock, the production temperature, and the application rate. Finally, the factors influencing the retention of PCPs in soil and the future perspectives are also discussed in this review. Conclusions: This review concluded that biochar amendment showed an excellent ability in retaining and immobilizing PCPs and reducing their uptake by plants. This opens up a new way for application of biochar that simultaneously achieves atmospheric carbon sequestration and safer animal and human food production. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]