Abstract BACKGROUND Efficient removal of atrazine (ATZ) from water is crucial but remains challenging. This study aimed to develop a novel iron‐modified biochar from corn cob for ATZ adsorption. RESULT Iron‐modified corn cob biochar was fabricated via a facile one‐step pyrolysis method under nitrogen atmosphere, and systematically characterized using various techniques. The optimal sample (BCA700) exhibited a specific surface area of 411.6 m 2 g −1 , high crystallinity, rich functional groups and strong magnetism. Adsorption experiments showed that 10 mg of BCA700 could remove >94% of ATZ (100 mL, 5 mg L −1 ) at room temperature within 1 h, with a saturated adsorption capacity of 47.10 mg g −1 . The adsorption process was well fitted to the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model, and thermodynamic parameters (Δ G 80% ATZ removal rate after three adsorption–desorption cycles. CONCLUSION This work provides a novel approach for corn cob resource utilization and an efficient adsorbent for pesticide‐contaminated wastewater treatment. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Li et al. (Wed,) studied this question.