New biochar-powered microbial systems offer sustainable solution for toxic pollutants
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Biochar-supported microbial systems: a strategy for remediation of persistent organic pollutants
view moreCredit: Haowei Wu, Yuxin Huo, Fengyuan Qi, Yuqi Zhang, Ran Li & Min Qiao
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences have unveiled a promising strategy to address persistent organic pollutants—dangerous substances found in industrial waste, pesticides, and contaminated soils that threaten environmental and human health. Their latest review highlights how biochar-supported microbial systems can revolutionize the remediation of these contaminants.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, and chlorinated solvents, are notorious for their cancer-causing effects and resistance to natural degradation. Traditional methods such as chemical treatment and excavation are often expensive, disruptive, and inefficient. Biological remediation is safer, but survival and effectiveness of microbes in harsh contaminated environments remain limited.
The new approach leverages “biochar”—a carbon-rich material produced from pyrolyzed biomass. Biochar’s porous structure and surface chemistry are ideal for trapping pollutants and creating microhabitats for beneficial microbes. When loaded with pollutant-degrading microbes, biochar acts as both a protective carrier and an adsorbent, allowing microbes to persist and perform while efficiently removing toxins from water and soil. Recent advances include nutrient-enriched biochar and engineered microbial communities that further expand remediation potential.
The authors detail progress in adapting biochar-supported systems to tackle pollutants in industrial wastewater, agricultural soils, and domestic environments. These integrated strategies have already achieved impressive results, including rapid breakdown of pesticides, dyes, and petroleum-based pollutants. While rigorous field-scale testing and long-term analysis are still needed, the technology represents a significant step towards scalable, sustainable pollution control.
“Biochar-supported microbial systems mark an important milestone toward a circular economy and healthier ecosystems,” says lead author Haowei Wu. “By combining advanced materials science with microbial ecology, this strategy offers new hope for restoring polluted environments and protecting public health.”
The paper is published in Biochar and is available open access under a Creative Commons license.
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Journal Reference: Wu, H., Huo, Y., Qi, F. et al. Biochar-supported microbial systems: a strategy for remediation of persistent organic pollutants. Biochar 7, 113 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42773-025-00506-7
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About Biochar
Biochar is the first journal dedicated exclusively to biochar research, spanning agronomy, environmental science, and materials science. It publishes original studies on biochar production, processing, and applications—such as bioenergy, environmental remediation, soil enhancement, climate mitigation, water treatment, and sustainability analysis. The journal serves as an innovative and professional platform for global researchers to share advances in this rapidly expanding field.
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Journal
Biochar
Method of Research
Literature review
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Biochar-supported microbial systems: a strategy for remediation of persistent organic pollutants
Microbial iron mining: turning polluted soils into self-cleaning reactors
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Microbial iron mining: a nature-based solution for pollution removal and resource recovery from contaminated soils
view moreCredit: Sha Zhang, Dong Zhu
A team of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has introduced a groundbreaking nature-based solution to tackle global soil pollution—a crisis threatening ecosystems, agriculture, and human health. Their new research demonstrates that harnessing the natural power of microbes and iron minerals can remove toxic substances from soils efficiently and sustainably.
Soil pollution has reached alarming levels worldwide due to industrial activity, agricultural chemicals, and improper waste management. From heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants to microplastics and antibiotic resistance genes, these contaminants pose serious risks to food safety and the environment. Conventional cleanup methods are costly, energy-intensive, and often harm the natural structure of soils.
The scientists present "microbial iron mining," a process where soil microbes activate natural iron cycling. Microbes reduce and mobilize iron minerals, producing tiny iron nanoparticles that act as powerful traps for a variety of pollutants. These particles can capture and transform metals such as arsenic, lead, and mercury, as well as organic pollutants and even microplastics.
What makes this approach unique is its reliance on nature’s own strategies for self-purification. By adding agricultural residues like rice straw and carefully managing soil moisture, researchers can boost microbial iron activity and accelerate pollutant removal, all without disruptive excavation or aggressive chemicals. The resulting iron-rich minerals can be harvested for safe disposal or further resource recovery, minimizing the cost and environmental footprint.
Early studies in rice paddies and wetlands, landscapes naturally rich in iron and organic matter, show that microbial iron mining can immobilize toxic substances and transform persistent pollutants into less hazardous forms. This strategy even opens the door to recovering rare earth elements, which are critical for clean energy technologies.
While practical field-scale applications are still being developed, microbial iron mining represents a major leap forward in sustainable land management. By transforming polluted soils into self-cleaning biogeochemical reactors, this process supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for clean water, safe food, and healthy ecosystems.
“Our work shows that soil can be engineered to clean itself through natural microbial and geochemical processes,” explains co-author Dong Zhu. “Microbial iron mining combines environmental harmony with practical resource recovery, offering hope for a cleaner, healthier future.”
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Journal reference: Zhang S, Zhu D. 2025. Microbial iron mining: a nature-based solution for pollution removal and resource recovery from contaminated soils. Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes 1: e006 https://www.maxapress.com/article/doi/10.48130/ebp-0025-0002
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About the Journal:
Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes is a multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on the interactions and processes involving the cycling of elements and compounds between the biological, geological, and chemical components of the environment.
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Method of Research
News article
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Microbial iron mining: a nature-based solution for pollution removal and resource recovery from contaminated soils
Article Publication Date
24-Oct-2025
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