Effect of RM-based-passivator for the remediation of two kinds of Cd polluted paddy soils and mechanism of Cd(II) adsorption

This study aimed to investigate the effects of red mud-based-passivator (RM-based-passivator) on rice yield, cadmium (Cd) in brown rice, pH and available Cd in Cd-polluted soil by pot experiments, and to explore the adsorption mechanism of the passivator by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results showed that this passivator obviously improved the pH, reduced the available Cd in soil and the Cd content in brown rice in Changsha Cd polluted soil (CS soil), while had little effect on Hengyang Cd polluted soil (HY soil). Compared with the control, the soil pH increased in the range from 0.31 to 1.37, the available Cd in soil decreased in the range from 13.25% to 52.34%, and the total Cd in brown rice decreased in the range from 46.44% to 84.98% in CS soil. Considering the impacts of RM-based-passivator on the growth of rice, the Cd content in brown rice, and the pH and available Cd in soil, 0.10–0.30% (w/w) of the passivator is recommended to apply in CS soil but not in HY soil. Based on the analysis of SEM, EDX, FTIR and XRD, the mechanism of Cd(II) adsorption by RM-based-passivator included physical adsorption, surface complexation and ion exchange. The present results indicated that the appropriate addition of RM-based-passivator could be an effective strategy for the remediation of acidic Cd-polluted soils.