Integrating metabolomics and physiological analysis to investigate the toxicological mechanisms of sewage sludge-derived biochars to wheat.

Effects of sewage sludge biochars (SSBCs) on the growth of wheat and the specific toxicological mechanisms were investigated from a metabolic perspective for better ecological risk assessment. We observed that conversion of sludge to biochar remarkably changed the properties, and also caused a significant (p < 0.05) reduction of the toxicity towards wheat. Wheat growth under exposure to SSBCs was influenced by the pyrolysis temperature (300 °C, 500 °C and 700 °C), with root length being promoted by SSBCs prepared at higher temperatures (500 °C and 700 °C). In addition to the contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) detected in SSBCs, the morphological characteristics of biochars contributed substantially to the wheat growth. Metabolomics analysis revealed the remarkable differences in the metabolic profiles among the control (CK), SS300- and SS700-treated samples. The toxicological mechanisms involved were found to be associated with the regulation of metabolisms pathways of protein, fatty acids and carbohydrates, among which protein metabolism was most affected by SSBCs. This work presents an innovative concept that SSBCs produced at a proper temperature may minimize the toxic effects on plant growth by regulating the metabolic fluxes in vivo.