Abstract
Arsenic (As)-contaminated paddy soil could result in elevated levels of As in rice plants and sequentially harm human health. The Fe3O4-modified biochar (NBC-Fe) prepared by the coprecipitation method was applied in a pot experiment to investigate its effect on mobility and bioavailability of As in soil and to reduce As accumulation in rice tissues (brown rice, husks, spikelets, leaves, stems, and roots). Compared with non-application (CK), application of NBC-Fe significantly increased the cation exchange capacity (CEC), decreased As availability, and raised the As concentration of crystalline hydrous oxide–bound fraction in the soil. The addition of 0.05–1.6% (w/w) NBC-Fe significantly reduced the As concentrations in brown rice by 9.4–47.3%, which was lower than the level set by the National Food Safety Standards of China (0.2 mg/kg). The NBC-Fe treatment decreased As concentrations in iron plaque (DCB-As), and the DCB-As had the very significant correlations (P < 0.01) with the As concentrations in different rice tissues (brown rice, husks, spikelets, leaves, stems, and roots). The NBC-Fe immobilized As to decrease As availability in soil and increased the amount and thickness of iron plaque to sequester As on the surfaces of rice root. This study demonstrates that NBC-Fe is a promising soil amendment for the remediation of As-contaminated soil, therefore reducing As accumulation in rice plant and safety risks for rice consumption.
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This work was funded by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (2018JJ3881), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41501344), and the Science and Technology Program of Changsha (kq1901138).
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Yao Yao and Hang Zhou wrote the paper; Hang Zhou, Xiu-Lan Yan, and Jiao-Feng Gu designed the experiments; Yao Yao, Xiao Yang, and Jing-Yi Zhang analyzed the data and produced the figures; Yao Yao, Kang-Wen Huang, Juan Liu, and Li-Juan Li implemented the experiments and analyzed all of the soil and rice tissues samples. Xiu-Lan Yan, Yaoyu Zhou, and Bo-Han Liao reviewed the manuscript.
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Application of the Fe3O4-modified biochar (NBC-Fe) decreases soil As availability, promotes iron plaque formation, and reduces As concentrations in brown rice; the NBC-Fe is a promising soil amendment for the remediation of As-contaminated soil.
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Yao, Y., Zhou, H., Yan, XL. et al. The Fe3O4-modified biochar reduces arsenic availability in soil and arsenic accumulation in indica rice (Oryza sativa L.). Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 18050–18061 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11812-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11812-x