Rice husk and cotton straw were used to produce biochar under 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 °C pyrolysis conditions, and the physicochemical properties of the obtained biochar samples were characterised. The effects of various adsorbent amounts, initial pH, and adsorption time on the Cd²⁺ adsorption performance were studied. The results showed that, at increasing pyrolysis temperatures, the biochar yield decreased, the ash content increased, the pH transitioned from acidic/neutral to basic/strongly basic, the biochar aromaticity gradually increased, and the biochar structure became more stable. In contrast, the hydrophilicity and polarity decreased, the specific surface area increased, and the number of oxygen-containing functional groups decreased. All these factors resulted in differences in the Cd²⁺ adsorption by the biochar samples. With increasing adsorbent content, the rate of Cd²⁺ adsorbed on the biochar gradually increased. The adsorption performance was optimal when the initial solution pH of the rice-husk and cotton-straw biochar samples was 5 and 6, respectively. The shortest time to achieve equilibrium was 30 min for rice-husk biochar, and 20 min for cotton-straw biochar. The Cd²⁺ adsorption data for both types of biochar were very well fitted with a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Ion exchange and cation–π interactions may be the main factors influencing the Cd²⁺ adsorption by biochar. At the same time, the large specific surface area of biochar also plays a role in the Cd²⁺ adsorption.

Despite low fertility and content of organic carbon in albic black soil, grains are grown in this type of soil in the northeast plain of China in order to find ways to improve the soil’s fertility and crop production. We carried out pot experiments of maize applied with one of three different treatments of fulvic acids (FA) derived from different parent materials: Plant-derived solid (PDSF), mineral-derived liquid (MDLF), and plant-derived liquid (PDLF) applied at respective rates of 2.5, 5, and 5 g kg⁻¹ as well as a control applied at 0 g kg⁻¹. The results showed that soil organic carbon and light fraction C was greater by 29% to 21% and 38% to 21%, respectively, among the treatments compared to that of the control. Similarly, available N content was significantly greater in the PDLF treatment, and P content was also significantly greater in the PDSF treatment. In contrast, available K and extractable Mg contents were lower, as well as organic–inorganic degree complexes and organic–inorganic composites in the PDSF, MDLF, and PDLF treatments compared with those of the control. Further results showed that MDLF and PDLF Fulvic acids (FA) accelerated plant growth, while PDSF limited plant growth. Our study provides empirical evidence that addition of fulvic acid from MDLF and PDLF had more positive effects on soil properties and plant growth than fulvic acid from PDSF. This investigation suggests that application of fulvic acid in liquid form can improve nutrient availability and affect other important chemical, biological, and physical properties of soils.

Ferrihydrite/manganese dioxide composites (FH–M) were synthesized from ferrihydrite (FH) and manganese compounds by ex situ synthesis and characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the present work. The influences of experimental parameters such as the solution pH value and initial concentration of adsorbate on the adsorption uptake of Cd(II)/As(V) was systematically investigated. The adsorption kinetics was analyzed by fitting quasi-first-order and quasi-second-order kinetic equations. The results showed that with increase in the pH value, the adsorption rate of Cd(II) is increased, while that of As(V) is increased first and then decreased. For the kinetic adsorption process, the adsorption performance of FH–M to As(V) was better than that to Cd(II). The quasi-second-order kinetic equation and Freundlich equation were more suitable to describe the adsorption of Cd(II)/As(V). The ligand exchange of Cd(II)/As(V) with the −OH in the composites was confirmed by analyzing the characterization results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The high adsorption ability of the FH–M makes it a potentially attractive adsorbent for the removal to Cd(II) and As(V) with a good application prospect.