Role of key microbial modules for soil carbon sequestration effects in biochar-based remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil

How changes in soil properties and heavy metal toxicity induced during biochar remediation of cadmium (Cd) contaminated soils induce changes in microbial communities, and further, how this process affects the soil carbon sequestration capacity by microorganisms, has not been explored. We prepared virgin biochar (named BC400 and BC600) using rice straw at 400 °C and 600 °C and modified biochar (named MNT-BC400 and MNT-BC600) using co-pyrolysis of montmorillonite and rice straw at the same two temperatures, in an attempt to create different CO