The biocrust formation by cyanobacteria inoculation is considered to be a substantial and promising biotechnology method for combating desertification. However, due to the harsh ecological environment in desert, it is difficult to form stable biocrust quickly on sand surface. Herein, we fabricated a network-structured nanocomposite as nano-sand-stabilizer (named as AC) using attapulgite (ATP) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The AC with abundant ‒COOH and ‒OH had a high retention water capacity and could bind sand particles together through netting effect, providing a stable and suitable microenvironment for growth of mixed cyanobacteria (MC). A one-year field experiment confirmed that synergistic effect of AC and MC could improve the soil nutrition content and microbial structure, which was beneficial for biocrust formation and sand fixation. Therefore, this study provides a new method for fast sand fixation and promoting the biocrust formation, which could achieve the goal of sustainable desert restoration.

通过蓝细菌接种形成生物结皮被认为是防治荒漠化的重要且有前途的生物技术方法。但是，由于沙漠中恶劣的生态环境，很难在沙面上迅速形成稳定的生物结皮。在这里，我们使用凹凸棒石（ATP）和羧甲基纤维素（CMC）制备了一种网络结构的纳米复合材料，作为纳米砂稳定剂（称为AC）。具有丰富的‒COOH和‒OH的AC具有很高的保留水容量，并且可以通过结网作用将沙子颗粒结合在一起，从而为混合蓝细菌（MC）的生长提供了稳定且合适的微环境。一年的田间试验证实，AC和MC的协同作用可以改善土壤营养含量和微生物结构，有利于生物结皮形成和固沙。