ArticleScientific reports2026
Synergistic remediation of oil-contaminated soil using sorghum and oil sludge-derived biochar.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Oil sludge contamination poses a significant threat to agricultural soil health and productivity. While biochar is a promising soil amendment, the synergistic potential of combining oil sludge-derived biochar with plant systems for holistic remediation remains poorly quantified. In a 60-day greenhouse study using a full-factorial design, we investigated the interactive effects of oil sludge (0-0.5% w/w) and biochar produced from the same sludge (0-1% w/w) on soil biochemistry and forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) growth, providing the first quantitative evidence of true synergy through combined assessment of soil biochemical recovery, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degradation kinetics, and plant physiological resilience-surpassing previous studies that examined these factors in isolation. Biochar application at 1% (w/w) effectively counteracted oil sludge toxicity, reducing soil salinity by ~ 30% and enhancing microbial respiration and enzyme activities (e.g., dehydrogenase increased by > 60%). Crucially, the presence of sorghum amplified these benefits, creating a strong plant-microbe-biochar synergy that accelerated the degradation of total PAHs by approximately 54%-a rate substantially greater than the sum of their individual effects. In plants, biochar mitigated oxidative stress, reducing lipid peroxidation (MDA) by 73% while boosting the antioxidant system. Consequently, biochar restored sorghum growth under high contamination, increasing shoot and root biomass by 43% and 72%, respectively, and maintained nutrient uptake. Our findings demonstrate that sorghum cultivation combined with oil sludge-derived biochar creates a powerful synergistic system for soil remediation. This circular economy approach not only decontaminates soil by enhancing microbial activity but also fortifies plant health, presenting a sustainable, plant-based strategy for the management of oil-sludge impacted agricultural lands.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.