DOI: 10.5061/dryad.59zw3r2dg
title: PFAS and nitrate leaching from undisturbed soil columns receiving biosolids and mitigation potential of biochar

description: Land application of biosolids recycles nutrients and reduces the need for
 commercial fertilizers. However, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
 (PFAS) may leach from biosolids, resulting in groundwater contamination.
 We measured PFAS leaching from land-applied biosolids through undisturbed
 soil column trials and evaluated the treatment potential of amending
 biosolids with biochar. Synthetic rainfall was applied weekly to
 undisturbed soil columns from four regions in Wisconsin, including two
 fields with a history of biosolids application, simulating annual
 precipitation. The treatments consisted of a control (soil only), soil
 amended with biosolids, and soil receiving a mixture of biosolids and
 biochar. Concentrations of total PFAS in leachate were significantly
 affected by soil location and site history, while only long chain PFAS
 concentrations were significantly affected by biosolids/biochar
 treatments. One-time application of biosolids may result in groundwater
 contamination, as PFAS concentrations in leachate exceeded the local
 groundwater standard (a combined perfluorooctanoic acid and
 perflourooctanesulfonic acid groundwater concentration of 20 ng L-1) at
 three locations. Legacy PFAS may pose a risk to human health years after
 biosolid application, as a control column from a site with an intensive
 history of biosolid application exceeded PFAS groundwater standards.
 Incorporation of biochar with biosolids during application mitigated PFAS
 (specifically from soils with elevated leaching potential) through
 significant reductions of C7 – C10 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and C4,
 C6 – C8 perfluorosulfonic acids (40 to 64% reduction in measured Σ28
 PFAS). Biochar may facilitate sustainable use of biosolids through
 mitigation of long-chain PFAS leaching, pending long-term field
 evaluation. 
description: Raw data was obtained from leaching experiment conducted on
 undisturbed soil columns collected at 4 locations across Wisconsin
 to: 1) Evaluate the leachability of added PFAS and
 Nitrogen compounds under a normal precipitation regime for
 Wisconsin.  2) Investigate the ability of biochar to
 reduce the leachability of the compounds of interest.
 Composite weekly leachate were collected, measured, and sampled
 to test for the concentration of several PFAS and Nitrogen compounds.
 Leachate volume and concentration data were combined to estimate weekly
 loads of the compounds of interest. Statistical procedures (including
 two-way ANOVA, Tukey's HSD post-hoc, and ANCOVA) were employed to
 investigate the difference in leachability between locations, and the
 effect of biochar on leaching potentials. 
description: The dataset is a .xlsx file and requires Microsoft Excel to open.
 Alternatively, Google Sheets can be used to open it. 
description: Holly, A.H., Gunn, K.M., Keymer, D., Sanford, J.R. Evaluation of Per- and
 Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Leaching from Biosolids and Mitigation
 Potential of Biochar through Undisturbed Soil Columns. ### Summary Raw
 data from undisturbed soil column leaching experiment at 4
 locations/counties (Columbia, Grant, Marathon, Outagamie) in Wisconsin.
 Several treatments were applied to: 1-Estimate the leachability of various
 PFAS and nitrogen compounds 2-Investigate the ability of biochar to reduce
 the leachability of the compounds of interest Data contains weekly
 leachate volumes from individual soil columns as well as concentrations of
 compounds of interest in the leachate samples. ### Data file
 Holly_et_al_2023_leaching_data.xlsx – the only .xlsx file providing raw
 data for weekly leachate volume and concentrations of compounds of
 interests. Data are organized by sheets Sheets description Metadata:
 several tables including: * the counties included in the study (Columbia,
 Grant, Marathon, Outagamie) * the treatments applied (Control, Biosolids,
 Biosolids + Biochar) * the variables reported in the file. * PFAS reported
 LeachateVolume sheets (one for each counties included: Outagamie, Grand,
 Columbia, and Marathon). Each sheet includes a table providing: *
 Location: county source of soil sample * Week: number of week (7 days)
 since the beginning of the experimental procedure * Column_ID:
 identification number of the soil column * Treatment_ID: identification of
 the treatment applied * Volume_mL: the weekly amount of leachate collected
 in mL * Note: any comment / observation regarding the soil column “NA”
 stands for: “no data” or “nothing to report”. PFAS_Concentration sheets
 (one for each counties included: Outagamie, Grand, Columbia, and
 Marathon). Each sheet includes a table providing: * Location: county
 source of soil sample * Week: number of week (7 days) since the beginning
 of the experimental procedure * Column_ID: identification number of the
 soil column * Treatment_ID: identification of the treatment applied *
 PFAS_Chain_Length: length of the backbone carbon chain of the described
 PFAS molecule * PFAS: PFAS molecule for which concentration is observed *
 Conc_ngperL: observed PFAS concentration in ng/L * Note: any comment /
 observation regarding the soil column “NA” stands for: “no data” or
 “nothing to report”. Nitrate_Concentration sheets (one for each counties
 included: Outagamie, Grand, Columbia, and Marathon). Each sheet includes a
 table providing: * Location: county source of soil sample * Week: number
 of week (7 days) since the beginning of the experimental procedure *
 Column_ID: identification number of the soil column * Treatment_ID:
 identification of the treatment applied * pH: observed leachate pH *
 NO2_NO3_mgNperL: measured concentration (mg/L) of Nitrogen as Nitrite and
 nitrate. * NH3_NH4_mgNperL: measured concentration (mg/L) of Nitrogen as
 Ammonia and Ammonium. * TKN_mgperL: measured concentration (mg/L) of Total
 Kjeldahl Nitrogen. * NO2_mgperL: measured concentration (mg/L) of Nitrogen
 as Nitrite. * NO3_mgperL: measured concentration (mg/L) of Nitrogen as
 Nitrate. * Note: any comment / observation regarding the soil column “NA”
 stands for: “no data” or “nothing to report”.