Tillage practices are critical for sustaining soil quality necessary for successful crop growth and productivity, but there are only few studies for strip tillage (ST) in the Mollisols region of Northeast China at present. A long-term (≥10-year) study was carried out to investigate the influence of within the tilled row (IR) and between rows (BR) in ST (10-year), conventional tillage (CT, 14-year) and no tillage (NT, 14-year) treatments on soil physicochemical properties. Soil samples were taken in May of 2019 at 0–5, 5–10, 10–20 and 20–30 cm depths and used to analyze bulk density (BD), soil aggregate distribution and stability, and soil organic carbon (SOC). Meanwhile, our study also explored the differences in seed emergence, soil moisture, and temperature during the seed emergence period, and yield of maize (Zea mays L.) among the different treatments. Similar soil properties were observed between ST-BR and NT, which showed they had a significantly greater BD, >0.25 mm water stable aggregate content (WR_0.25) (especially in the amount of >2 mm and 1–2 mm size proportion), aggregate stability, and SOC than ST-IR and CT-IR at a depth of 0–20 cm. By improving soil conditions of seedbed, ST-IR and CT-IR increased soil temperature above NT by 1.64 °C and 1.80 °C, respectively, and ST-IR had a slight greater soil moisture than CT-IR in the top 10 cm layer during the seed emergence period. Late maize seed emergence was observed NT in than ST-IR and CT-IR and the average annual yields in ST were slightly greater than NT and CT, but the differences were not significant. Our results also showed that CT-BR had a poor soil structure and lower SOC than other treatments at 0–30 cm depth. We conclude from these long-term experimental results that ST could improve soil water-heat conditions to promote seed germination, maintain soil structure, and increase the maize yield and it should be applied in the Mollisols region of Northeast China.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of utilizing aerated concrete (AC) and clay bricks (CB) sourced from construction and demotion waste (CDW) as low-cost adsorbents for the removal of Pb²⁺ from aqueous solutions. The effects of various parameters, including particle size, solution pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial Pb²⁺ concentration, were analyzed through batch experiments. The results indicated that AC performed more efficiently in removing lead ions than CB under all the tested conditions. The highest removal efficiency of Pb²⁺ with AC was 99.0%, which was achieved at a pH of 5.0, contact time of 1 h, an adsorbent dosage of 5 g/L, and an initial Pb²⁺ concentration of 100 mg/L. The maximum adsorption capacities of AC and CB were 201.6 mg/g and 56.3 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption isotherm data of the adsorbents were successfully modeled using both the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The removal of lead ions from aqueous solutions by both adsorbents is primarily achieved through adsorption and microprecipitation. Compared to CB, AC exhibited superior performance, attributed to its larger specific surface area, pore volume, and alkalinity. The cost-effectiveness and availability of AC make it a promising candidate for treating of Pb-contaminated wastewater, providing a new way for resource utilization of CDW.

This study aimed to analyze the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (STN) in a micro-catchment area comprising farmland and a gully with vegetation restoration (artificial forest and grassland) and their influencing factors. We surveyed a total of 52 topsoil sampling sites to measure the SOC and STN content, as well as topographical factors (elevation, curvature, slope gradient, and aspect), soil properties (bulk density, aggregate distribution, soil texture, and soil moisture), and land use and management. We used traditional statistical and geostatistical methods to analyze the spatial variability of SOC and STN. The results of this study indicate that SOC and STN content varied moderately across the entire micro-catchment area, with greater values in the west (gully head area) than in the east (gully mouth area). Additionally, SOC and STN were significantly positively correlated with soil water content, >2 mm size aggregate fraction, and elevation, but negatively correlated with <0.053 mm size fraction. Land use types also influenced the spatial distribution of SOC and STN contents, with the highest averages of SOC and STN content found at the edge of farmland road and grassland, respectively, and the lowest values in bare land. This study provides a valuable supplement to the understanding of SOC and STN in micro-catchment areas, and the research results also support the evaluation of the impact of gully erosion control on SOC and STN dynamics after vegetation restoration. Overall, vegetation restoration should be adopted for gully erosion control and sustainable agricultural development in the Mollisols region of Northeast China.