Application of Iron-Bimetal Biochar for As and Cd Reduction and Soil Organic Carbon Preservation Under Varying Moisture

Frank Stephano Mabagala, Tingjuan Wang, Qiufen Feng, Xibai Zeng, Chao He, Cuixia Wu, Nan Zhang and Shiming Su ()
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Frank Stephano Mabagala: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Tingjuan Wang: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Qiufen Feng: Hunan Cultivated Land and Agricultural Eco-Environment Institute, Key Laboratory of Agro-Environment in Midstream of Yangtze Plain, Ministry of Agriculture, Changsha 410125, China
Xibai Zeng: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Chao He: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Cuixia Wu: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Nan Zhang: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
Shiming Su: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Eco-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-23

Abstract: The contamination of paddy soils with arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd), coupled with the depletion of soil organic carbon (SOC), poses significant threats to rice yields and quality. There is an urgent need to identify a suitable soil additive capable of achieving simultaneous heavy metal remediation and promotion of organic matter enrichment. The current study introduced two novel iron (Fe)/magnesium (Mg)-based bimetal-oxide-modified rice straw biochar (RSB), namely RSB-Fe/Mn and RSB-Fe/Mg. It evaluated their effectiveness in As/Cd immobilization and SOC preservation. An 8-week cultivation experiment was carried out in sequential drying–flooding moisture fluctuation conditions, with the soil pore water As/Cd (PWAs/Cd) and SOC fractions monitored. The mechanisms of As/Cd immobilization were investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) characterizations. Results revealed that PWAs and PWCd were reduced by up to 67.1% and 80.2% during the drying period and by 27.0% and 76.5% during the flooding period, respectively. Additionally, SOC content increased by 16.3% and 33.9% with RSB-Fe/Mn addition during the drying and flooding period, respectively, with an increase in the mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) fraction. The study proves that RSB-Fe/Mn and RSB-Fe/Mg are effective for soil As/Cd passivation and SOC stabilization, offering a promising solution to mitigate As and Cd pollution in paddy soils while maintaining soil quality.

Keywords: iron-based bimetallic biochar; pore water As/Cd; As-Cd co-stabilization; Fe-oxide-enhanced SOC stabilization; heavy metal adsorption sites (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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