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Micron-engineered biochar mitigates antimony and microplastics toxicity by reshaping soil microbiome and plant transcriptomic responses
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Antimony and microplastic pollution in soil can harm crops and let toxic metals build up in the food we eat. This study found that adding a special engineered charcoal (biochar) to contaminated soil helped rice plants grow better, boosted helpful soil bacteria, and cut the amount of antimony taken up by the plants by nearly a third—meaning less toxic buildup in our food. This suggests biochar could be a simple, affordable tool for making crops safer and more resilient in polluted soils.
Antimony (Sb) and microplastics (MPs) are environmental threats for plants and human health. Antimony is known to impair plant growth, but the combined effects of Sb and MPs on plant and soil traits remain unexplored. This study examined the role of micron-engineered biochar (MBC) in mitigating Sb (250 mg kg) + MPs (1%) soil contamination. Five treatments were established in a pot experiment: control, Sb + MPs, Sb + MPs + MBC applied at 1%, 1.5% and 2%. MBC counteracted the negative impacts of Sb + MPs on leaf water status, osmo-regulating compounds (average, +57%), antioxidant activities (average, +93%), soil Sb content and plant uptake (both, -31%), soil nutrient (N, P, K) contents and plant uptake (average, +72%), and grain yield (+57%). MBC also increased the abundance of Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteriodota, and Proteobacteria as well as antimony degrading genes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that MBC supply mitigated Sb + MPs toxicity by upregulating the MAPK signaling cascade, ABC transporters, ion export channels, peroxisomes, ascorbic acid, aldehyde, and galactose metabolism. These findings suggest that MBC is a multidimensional resource for remediating co-contaminated soils and enhancing rice productivity.
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Bacterial-charged biochar enhances plant growth and mitigates microplastic toxicity by altering microbial communities and soil metabolism
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Researchers tested whether adding bacteria and biochar (a charcoal-like material) to microplastic-contaminated paddy soil could help rice plants recover, finding that the combined treatment increased shoot weight by over 100% and dramatically improved nutrient uptake genes. The treatment also enriched beneficial soil microbes and reduced oxidative stress in rice, offering a promising strategy for restoring agricultural soils polluted with microplastics.
Co-application of biochar and melatonin enhances rice resilience to combined lead and microplastics stress via modulating antioxidant defense, hormonal regulation, gene expression, and soil quality
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Lead pollution and microplastics in soil team up to stunt rice growth and reduce harvests — a real concern since rice is a staple food for billions. This study found that adding charcoal-like "biochar" plus melatonin (a natural compound) to contaminated soil helped rice plants defend themselves, absorb less lead, and produce nearly as much grain as healthy plants, suggesting a practical way to grow safer food in polluted farmland.
Unlocking the microplastics amplification effect: How biochar counters heavy metal risks by driving speciation shifts and reversing soil property degradation
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Microplastics in soil make toxic heavy metals like lead and cadmium more available to plants, meaning crops grown in contaminated soil could absorb more of these harmful substances into food. Adding biochar—a charcoal-like material made from wood chips or straw—to soil helped reverse this problem by improving soil health and locking lead into safer forms, cutting its uptake in lettuce by about a quarter. This matters because it points to an affordable way to reduce heavy metal contamination in food crops grown in polluted soil, though the treatment worked less well against cadmium, so it's not a complete fix.
[Effects of Biochar on the Growth of Chrysanthemum morifolium and the Structure and Function of Soil Bacterial Communities under Microplastic Pollution].
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This study found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like soil additive made from organic waste) to soil contaminated with microplastics helped chrysanthemum plants grow better and boosted the health of beneficial soil bacteria. This matters because microplastics are increasingly polluting farmland soil, and finding low-cost ways to counteract their harmful effects could help protect the food crops we eventually eat and the soil ecosystems that support them.
Biochar relieves the toxic effects of microplastics on the root-rhizosphere soil system by altering root expression profiles and microbial diversity and functions
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Researchers found that adding biochar (a charcoal-like soil amendment) to soil contaminated with polystyrene microplastics helped peanut plants recover by boosting their antioxidant defenses and restoring beneficial soil bacteria. This suggests biochar could be a practical tool for protecting crops in microplastic-contaminated farmland, which matters for food safety and reducing the amount of microplastics that enter the human food chain.
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