Novel versatile nanomaterials may facilitate strategies for simultaneous soil remediation and agricultural production, but a thorough and mechanistic assessment of efficacy and safety is needed. We have established a new soil remediation strategy using nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) coupled with safe rice production in paddy soil contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP). In comparison with rice cultivation in contaminated soil with 100 mg PCP per kg soil but without nZVI, the addition of 100 mg nZVI per kg soil increased grain yield by 47.1–55.0%, decreased grain PCP content by 83.6–86.2% and increased the soil PCP removal rate from 49.9 to 83.9–89.0%. The specific role of nZVI-derived root iron plaque formation in the safe production of rice has been elucidated, and the synergistic effect of nZVI treatment and rice cultivation identified in the nZVI-facilitated rhizosphere microbial degradation of PCP. This work opens a new strategy for the application of nanomaterials in soil remediation that could simultaneously enable safe crop production in contaminated lands.

新型多功能纳米材料可能有助于同时进行土壤修复和农业生产的策略，但需要对功效和安全性进行全面和机械的评估。我们建立了一种新的土壤修复策略，使用纳米级零价铁 (nZVI)，并在受五氯苯酚 (PCP) 污染的水稻土中安全生产水稻。与在每公斤土壤添加 100 毫克五氯苯酚但未添加 nZVI 的污染土壤中种植水稻相比，每公斤土壤添加 100 毫克 nZVI 可使粮食增产 47.1-55.0%，降低粮食五氯苯酚含量 83.6-86.2%，并增加土壤PCP 去除率从 49.9% 到 83.9–89.0%。已经阐明了 nZVI 衍生的根部铁斑块形成在水稻安全生产中的具体作用，以及 nZVI 处理和水稻栽培在 nZVI 促进根际微生物降解 PCP 中的协同作用。这项工作为纳米材料在土壤修复中的应用开辟了一条新战略，可以同时在受污染的土地上实现安全的作物生产。