Adsorption of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) by Willow Wood Biochars Produced at Different

Adsorption of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) by Willow Wood Biochars Produced at Different Pyrolysis Temperatures

Congying Wang a, Tao Wang b, Wenbin Li c, Jifeng Yan a, Zengbo Li c, *, Riaz Ahmad d, Saman K. Herath b, e, Na Zhu a

aSchool of Environmental Science and Resources, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China

bNew Zealand Biochar Research Centre, Private Bag 11222, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand

cSchool of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan 030021, China

dDepartment of Soil Science & Soil Water Conservation, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

eDepartment of Export Agriculture, Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture, Uva Wellassa University, Badulla 9000, Sri Lanka

Corresponding author: Zengbo Li

Tel.: +86 351 6938207.

Fax: +86 351 6938207.

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Table of contents (1 table and 3 figures)

Table S1 Preliminary experiment 1: comparision of properties of willow wood-derived biochars before and after washing by Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.0)

Figure S1 Preliminary experiment 2: comparision of thermogracimetric (TG) and derivative curves of willow wood-derived biochars before (W350-A, W550-A) and after (W350-B, W550-B) washing by Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.0)

Figure S2 The Scanning electron micrographs of willow biochars used in the present study

Figure S3 Comparison of effect of electrolytes on DNA adsorption by willow biochar and soil minerals. Qbuffer-ion and Qbuffer representing amount of adsorbed DNA in a Tris-HCl buffer with and without cation (Na+, Mg2+ and Ca2+) amendments

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Table S1 Preliminary experiment 1: comparision of properties of willow wood-derived biochars before and after washing with Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.0) for 4 times (2 overnights + 2×4h). All the data are presented on a dry weight basis. Concentrations of Ca and Mg are represented as mean values ±standard deviations (n=2). Biochars were produced at 350 °C and 550 °C using a gas kiln as illustrated by Wang et al. (2012). Both the feedstock and biochar producing conditions are different with those described in the manuscript; therefore, the values of selected properties may not comparable with those recorded in Table 1 of the manuscript

a, determined by difference as O% = 100 – (C+H+N+S+Ash)%;

b, B is shorted for “before”, that is the original samples without any treatment;

c, A denotes “after washing with Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.0) for 4 times (2 overnights + 2×4h)”

Fig. S1 Preliminary experiment 2: comparision of thermogracimetric (TG) and derivative thermogracimetric (DTG) curves of willow branches-derived biochars before (W350-B, W550-B) and after (W350-A, W550-A) washing with Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.0) for 4 times (2 overnights + 2×4h). Biochars were produced at 350 °C and 550 °C using a gas kiln according to Wang et al. (2012). Both the feedstock and biochar producing conditions are different with those described in the manuscript. The difference in these curves between treated and original samples are not very manifest. Therefore, we concluded that the washing procedure did not considerably influence C properties (can also be seen from Table S1) of biochar

Fig. S2 The Scanning electron micrographs of willow biochars used in the present study

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Fig. S3 Comparison of effect of electrolytes on DNA adsorption by willow biochar and soil minerals. Qbuffer-ion and Qbuffer representing amount of adsorbed DNA in a Tris-HCl buffer with and without cation (Na+, Mg2+ and Ca2+) amendments. Data of BC were from the present study and other data were cited from Cai et al. (2006) and Poly et al.(1999)

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Reference

Cai P, Huang Q, Zhang X (2006) Microcalorimetric studies of the effects of MgCl2 concentrations and pH on the adsorption of DNA on montmorillonite, kaolinite and goethite. Appl Clay Sci 32:147-152

Poly F, Chenu C, Simonet P, Rouiller J, Jocteur Monrozier L (1999) Differences between linear chromosomal and supercoiled plasmid DNA in their mechanisms and extent of adsorption on clay minerals. Langmuir 16:1233-1238

Wang T, Camps-Arbestain M, Hedley M, Bishop P (2012) Predicting phosphorus bioavailability from high-ash biochars. Plant Soil 357:173-187

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