Simultaneous stabilization of Sb and As co-contaminated soil by FeMg modified biochar

Currently, metalloid co-contamination, such as antimony and arsenic in soil, poses a serious threat to ecological stability and human health. Stabilization, a low-cost, effective, environmentally mild remediation strategy, shows enormous potential for mitigating environmental concerns. In this study, a novel FeMg modified porous biochar with different Fe/Mg proportions was prepared using the co-precipitation method to investigate the stabilizing efficiency in aqueous solutions and real soils. The optimal removal performance for Sb(V) and As(V) was the 1/3 mol ratio of Fe/Mg (3FMKBC), in which the maximum adsorption capacities of Sb(V) and As(V) were 296.9 and 195.4 mg/g, respectively. Detailed morphological and BET analyses suggested that BC effectively reduced Fe and Mg oxide agglomeration and endowed more interfacial active sites. Meanwhile, detailed adsorption behavior and surface analysis of 3FMKBC indicated that electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonds, surface hydroxyl complexation, and ligand exchange induced by ≡C-O-Fe/Mg-OH dominated the stabilization process. Moreover, according to a 40-day incubation study in soil, 3FMKBC (1 wt. ml) decreased the available Sb (28.5% and 23.0%) and As (83.1% and 31.1%) extracted by toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and 0.1 M Na₂HPO₄, respectively. The above results indicated that 3FMKBC was an optimal amendment for limiting the migration and bioavailability of Sb and As. In addition, the sequential extraction and soil properties confirmed that 3FMKBC could realize the redistribution of resolved Sb and As between the soil solution and solid particles effectively, thereby converting the bioavailable/labile fraction of Sb and As to a more stabilized fraction. All results demonstrated that 3FMKBC could be a prospective material for Sb and As co-contamination stabilization.