Soil heavy metal pollution caused by human activities has become one of the most critical environmental issues with a global concern. Phytoremediation is widely used due to its low cost and environmental friendliness. However, the impact of heavy metals on plant growth remains unclear. This study investigated the effects on the growth and photosynthetic activity of Picris divaricata Vant. under different cadmium concentrations using a hydroponics cultivation system. The results showed that the growth and photosynthetic processes of P. divaricata exhibited a phenomenon of promotion in low Cd concentrations and inhibition in high Cd concentrations. Under a low to medium Cd concentration (≤25 μM), there was no Cd toxicity in terms of plant growth, but high concentrations of Cd inhibited plant growth. The Fe content of leaves gradually increased as the Cd concentration increased; it reached 201.8 mg kg⁻¹ in 75 μM Cd. However, there was no significant difference in Mn between the 75 μM Cd treatment and the control (p > 0.05). The contents of carotenoid ranged between 3.06 and 3.26 mg/g across the different Cd treatments, showing no significant differences. The treatment with 5–75 μM Cd did not directly affect the photosynthesis of P. divaricata. Higher Cd concentrations reduced the stomatal density on the of P. divaricata leaves, resulting in stomatal and mesophyll conductance limitations, indirectly affecting P. divaricata photosynthesis. These research results provide a reference for evaluating and selecting heavy metal tolerant plants and provide environmentally friendly approaches to remediate heavy metal pollution.

A significant environmental concern globally is the pollution of water bodies as a result of heavy metals. To date, various attempts have been made to effectively remove heavy metals, such as those that use synthetic and biogenic materials to abate and control water pollution. The biological removal of pollutants from water is an efficient and environmentally friendly technique. In this study, we evaluated the biosorption characteristics of Zn²⁺ ions from aqueous solution by spent composed of raw Agaricus biosporium (RAB) and A. biosporium (SCAB). We added different biosorption doses, metal ions, and initial concentrations of pollutants to explore the adsorption of Zn²⁺ by RAB and SCAB. We applied pseudo-first- and second-order models to investigate the biosorption kinetics. According to our results, the rate of Zn²⁺ removal from the aqueous solution using raw biomass was significantly lower than that using sodium citrate-treated biomass of SCAB. When the Zn²⁺ concentration increased from 10 mg L⁻¹ to 200 mg L⁻¹, the rate of removal of RAB decreased from 73.9% to 38.4%, and that of Zn²⁺ by SCAB decreased from 99.9% to 75.9%. As we increased the biosorbent dose, the rate of Zn²⁺ removal by SCAB increased. Interestingly, Zn² biosorption was inhibited by heavy co ions (Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺) and light metals (e.g., Na⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺). When treating wastewater polluted with Zn²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Cu²⁺, SCAB showed good potential. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for an environmentally sound approach to controlling water pollution.

The association with minerals is the most critical factor influencing the stability of organic carbon in soil. It is essential to gain an in-depth understanding of the research progress and future development trends regarding the impact of soil minerals on organic carbon stability both domestically and internationally and to identify current key issues; a total of 1834 research papers from the Web of Science Core Collection database were selected as the data source. These papers were examined using CiteSpace, HistCite, VOSviewer, and Origin 9.1 tools. The analysis categorized and visualized data based on countries, institutions, journals, disciplines, and keywords, utilizing indices like the number of articles and total/average citation frequency. The results indicate that the number of publications on the study of soil minerals and their impact on organic carbon stability has been increasing from 2013 to 2023. China and the United States have significantly led in the number of publications in this field. However, research collaborations among countries also exhibit significant regional characteristics. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has the most publications. Yet, its average frequency of local citations is only 0.81 per paper, significantly lower than the top ten average of 2.23 per paper. The journal with the highest number of articles in this field is Nature Communications, with 248 articles. The main research hotspots focus on aspects such as the adsorption of organic carbon by minerals, catalytic transformation, and redox reactions. Future research should build on this foundation to focus more on detailed mechanisms, particularly the long-term effects of different environmental factors and time scales on soil carbon stability.

Precipitation is a key factor affecting plant growth and development in seasonally arid regions. However, most of the traditional hydrological methods mainly select typically sunny days for sampling, and the immediate water absorption strategy of plants during and after rainfall is still unclear. This study used stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope technology to study the soil moisture absorption rates of Robinia pseudoacacia and the soil moisture content at different soil layers at different sampling times (0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h) after rainfall. The results showed that the moisture content of the shallow soil layer decreased, while that of the deep soil layer increased over time after rainfall. R. pseudoacacia mainly utilized water from the 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers at 6 h after rainfall, which accounted for 36.52% and 22.25% of the rainfall, respectively. At 24 h, the 40–60, 60–80 and 80–100 cm soil layers contributed 25.25%, 18.44% and 24.45% of the water content, respectively. The shallow soil layer retained more rainfall within 6 h after rain fell, and the water retention ratio of the medium–shallow soil layer (0–60 cm) increased to 48.4%, retaining more water at 14–20 h. At 12 h, the medium–shallow soil layer (0–60 cm), runoff and groundwater constituted 37.1%, 14.4% and 15.7% of the precipitation, respectively, and rainfall retained in the deep soil layer (60–100 cm) accounted for 32.8%. In summary, R. pseudoacacia tends to use a large amount of shallow soil water in seasonally arid regions when precipitation supplements the surface soil moisture content and it utilizes deep soil water when the rainfall infiltrates and recharges the deep soil layer. Since R. pseudoacacia is sensitive to precipitation, it can quickly adjust its water absorption depth range during the short-term rainfall period to absorb as much precipitation as possible.

Selecting representative groundwater monitoring wells in polluted areas is crucial to comprehensively assess groundwater pollution, thereby ensuring effective groundwater remediation. However, numerous factors can affect the effectiveness of groundwater monitoring well network optimizations. A local sensitivity analysis method was used in this study to analyze the hydrogeological parameters of a simulation groundwater solute transport model. The results showed a strong effect of longitudinal dispersion and transverse dispersion on the output results of the simulation model, and a good fit between the backpropagation neural network (BPNN)-based alternative model’s results and those obtained using the solute transport simulation model, accurately reflecting the input and output relationship of the simulation model. The optimized groundwater monitoring layout scheme consisted of four groundwater monitoring wells, namely no. 7, no. 16, no. 23, and no. 24. These wells resulted in a groundwater fluoride pollution rate of 98.44%, which was substantially higher than that obtained using the random layout scheme. In addition, statistical analysis of the fluoride groundwater pollution results obtained using the Monte Carlo random simulation highlighted continuous and high groundwater fluoride levels in the second and third pollution sources and their downstream groundwater. Therefore, more attention should be devoted to these sources to ensure the effective remediation of groundwater pollution in the study area.