Biochar reduces the risks of DDT-contaminated soil
Biochar binds DDT effectively, so that the toxin is not taken up by soil organisms. Photo: Anja Enell, the Swedish Geotechnical Institute. DDT soil pollution is still a major problem in many parts of the world. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a new method to manage ecological risks from the toxin by binding it with biochar. When they mixed biochar into contaminated soil at a former tree nursery, DDT uptake by earthworms in the soil was halved. This method may enable the growing of certain crops on land that is currently considered