Ecology and Environment ›› 2025, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (4): 608-620.DOI: 10.16258/j.cnki.1674-5906.2025.04.010

• Research Article【Environmental Science】 • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Evaluation of the Effects and Soil Health Impacts of Iron-Modified Woody Peat in the Remediation of Moderately Cadmium and Arsenic Contaminated Paddy Fields Based on Multi-Site Long-Term Positioning Experiments

CUI Xuedan1(), DUAN Guilan1, WANG Xiangqin2, LI Zhifeng2, DOU Fei2, DU Yanhong2, YUAN Yuzhen2, LIU Chuanping2, LI Fangbai2,*()   

  1. 1. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, P. R. China
    2. Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management/Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, P. R. China
  • Received:2025-01-24 Online:2025-04-18 Published:2025-04-24
  • Contact: LI Fangbai

基于两地长期定位试验的铁改性木本泥炭修复中轻度镉砷污染稻田效果与土壤健康效应评价

崔雪丹1(), 段桂兰1, 王向琴2, 李志丰2, 窦飞2, 杜衍红2, 袁雨珍2, 刘传平2, 李芳柏2,*()   

  1. 1.中国科学院生态环境研究中心/城市与区域生态国家重点实验室,北京 100085
    2.广东省科学院生态环境与土壤研究所/广东省农业环境综合治理重点实验室,广东 广州 510650
  • 通讯作者: 李芳柏
  • 作者简介:崔雪丹(1998年生),女,博士研究生,研究方向为植物-微生物-重金属相互作用机制探究。E-mail:ax1655680772@163.com
  • 基金资助:
    国家重点研发计划项目(2022YFD1700804);“十四五”广东省农业科技创新十大主攻方向“揭榜挂帅”项目(2022SDZG08);广东省重点领域研发计划项目(2023B0202010027);广州市重点研发计划项目(2023B03J1286);国家产业产业岗位专家项目(ACRS-19)

Abstract:

The remediation of heavy metal-contaminated agricultural land often prioritizes achieving compliance rates for agricultural products and reducing the bioavailability of heavy metals in the soil. However, comprehensive assessments of soil health impacts induced by remediation materials remain scarce. To address this gap, a three-year, six-season field positioning experiment was conducted in moderately cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) co-contaminated paddy fields across Shaoguan and Huizhou, Guangdong Province. This study evaluated the long-term efficacy and soil health effects of three treatments: reducing iron powder (Fe), woody peat (C), and iron-modified woody peat (Fe-C), applied annually before early and late rice planting. Soil health indicators, including physicochemical properties (pH, organic matter (OM), and cation exchange capacity (CEC)), heavy metal content (rice Cd, rice As, available soil Cd, and available soil As), and rice yield, were systematically monitored. A multi-criteria scoring function was developed to integrate these indicators into a composite Soil Health Index (SHI), enabling a holistic evaluation of remediation outcomes. The results demonstrated that Fe-C application outperformed other treatments, achieving a 47.8% and 61.2% reduction in rice Cd and As contents, respectively, along with a 60.4% and 69.8% decline in soil available Cd and As, respectively. Concurrently, the rice yield increased by 17%, which was attributed to enhanced soil fertility and structural stability. Over three years, Fe-C elevated soil pH by 0.35 and 0.37 units in Shaoguan and Huizhou, respectively, boosted OM by 0.50 and 2.02 g·kg−1, and increased CEC by 1.27 and 1.49 cmol·kg−1. The SHI analysis revealed that Fe-C elevated soil health to a “high” or “very high” level, with those in Shaoguan exhibiting greater improvement than in Huizhou, likely due to its lower baseline soil quality and higher initial heavy metal stress. Mechanistically, Fe-C synergistically combines the adsorption capacity of woody peat-derived humic substances with the redox activity of zero-valent iron, promoting Cd immobilization via pH-dependent precipitation and As sequestration through oxidative adsorption onto iron oxides. Notably, woody peat alone exacerbated As bioavailability owing to the humus-mediated reductive dissolution of As-bearing minerals, whereas Fe-C mitigated this risk by stabilizing As(V) through Fe(III)-As(V) co-precipitation. Regional disparities in remediation efficacy were linked to divergent soil properties; the acidic, low-OM soil showed pronounced responsiveness to pH and CEC enhancements in the field of Shaoguan, whereas the inherently higher OM buffered Cd/As mobility but limited further organic carbon accrual in the field of Huizhou. The scoring framework, incorporating a Gaussian cumulative distribution and sigmoidal functions, provided robust discrimination of treatment effects across heterogeneous soil matrices, although future iterations could benefit from integrating microbial diversity metrics. These findings highlight Fe-C as a sustainable amendment for simultaneous Cd/As immobilization and the restoration of soil health, particularly in moderately contaminated agroecosystems. This study advances practical strategies for reconciling food safety and soil sustainability in heavy-metal-affected regions while highlighting the necessity of context-specific remediation protocols tailored to local pedoenvironmental conditions.

Key words: cadmium and arsenic co-contamination, availability of cadmium and arsenic, cadmium and arsenic content in rice grains, iron-modified woody peat, evaluation of soil health effects, paddy fields

摘要: 农用地重金属污染修复的研究多关注农产品达标率和土壤重金属有效态下降的比例,而对于修复材料影响土壤健康则较少关注。在韶关、惠州两地中轻度镉砷复合污染稻田开展了为期3年6季的定位试验,在每年早稻、晚稻种植前,分别向试验小区施加还原铁粉、木本泥炭和铁改性木本泥炭,研究镉砷同步钝化效果,同时,对测定的所有土壤健康指标按照理化性质(pH、OM、CEC)、重金属含量(稻米Cd、稻米As、土壤有效态Cd、土壤有效态As)及稻米产量进行分组并构建评分函数,评价铁改性木本泥炭对土壤健康的效应。结果表明,与对照相比,施加铁改性木本泥炭可显著降低稻米镉、砷含量,下降率可分别达到47.8%和61.2%;可显著降低土壤有效态Cd、As含量,下降率可分别达到60.4%和69.8%;可显著提高稻米产量,增产率可达17%。同时,施加铁改性木本泥炭提升了土壤pH值、有机碳含量和阳离子交换量(CEC值),3年间,韶关、惠州试验地土壤pH分别平均提升0.35、0.37个单位,有机质分别平均提升0.50、2.02 g·kg−1,CEC值平均提高1.27、1.49 cmol·kg−1,显著地提升了土壤质量。土壤健康指数评价表明,施加铁改性木本泥炭极大地提高了总体健康指数,土壤健康状况达到高等水平以上。尽管惠州试验地的土壤健康指数高于韶关,但铁改性木本泥炭对韶关试验地土壤健康指数的提升更显著,这可能与韶关试验地土壤健康质量指数本底值较低有关。研究结果为铁改性木本泥炭在土壤修复中的长期应用提供了科学依据。

关键词: 镉砷复合污染, 镉砷有效性, 稻米镉砷含量, 铁改性木本泥炭, 土壤健康效应评价, 稻田

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