Biochar, a porous carbonaceous material derived from the pyrolysis of biomass under oxygen-limited conditions, offers several advantages for environmental remediation, including a high specific surface area, ease of preparation, and abundant raw material sources. However, the application of pristine biochar is limited by its inherent physicochemical shortcomings, such as a lack of active functional groups and limited elemental compositions. To overcome these limitations, metal-modified biochars have garnered increasing attention. In particular, iron-manganese (Fe-Mn) modification significantly enhances the adsorption capacity, redox potential, and microbial activity of biochar, owing to the synergistic interactions between Fe and Mn. Iron-manganese-modified biochar (FM-BC) has demonstrated effective removal of heavy metals, organic matter, phosphate, and nitrate through mechanisms including mesoporous adsorption, redox reactions, complexation, electrostatic interactions, and precipitation. Moreover, FM-BC can improve soil physicochemical properties and support plant growth, highlighting its promising potential for broader environmental application. This review summarizes the preparation methods, environmental remediation mechanisms, and practical applications of FM-BC and discusses future directions in mechanism elucidation, biomass selection, and engineering implementation. Overall, FM-BC, with its tunable properties and multifunctional capabilities, emerges as a promising and efficient material for addressing complex environmental pollution challenges.
Liu et al. (2025) studied this question.