Higher remediation efficiency of Cd and lower CO2 emissions in phytoremediation systems with biochar application

Biochar has been considered a promising material for soil carbon sequestration. However, there are huge knowledge gaps regarding the carbon reduction effects of biochar-plant-polluted soil. Here, rice straw biochar (RB) was applied in ryegrass-cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soil to investigate the full-cycle carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission and intrinsic mechanism. RB resulted in a 37.00 %–115.64 % reduction in accumulative CO₂ emissions and a 31.61 %–45.80 % reduction in soil bioavailable Cd throughout the whole phytoremediation period. CO₂ emission reduction triggered by RB can be attributed to the regulation of plant and rhizosphere ecological functions. RB could bolster photosynthetic carbon fixation by maintaining the stability of the structure of the chloroplasts and thylakoids, accelerating the consumption of terminal photosynthate, upregulating photosynthetic pigments, and mitigating oxidative damage. Besides, RB reduced the metabolism of readily mineralizable carbon sources while reinforcing the utilization of certain nutrient substrates. Besides, the composition of rhizosphere microbial communities was altered, especially those associated with carbon cycling (Chloroflexi, Actinobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota phyla) to orient soil microbial evolution to lower soil CO₂ emission. This study aims to establish a win-win paradigm of “carbon reduction-pollution alleviation” to deepen the understanding of biochar in carbon neutrality and soil health and provide a theoretical basis for field pilot-scale studies.