Clay–organic interaction is an important natural process that underpins soil ecosystem services. This process can also be tailored to produce clay–organic nanocomposites for industrial and environmental applications. The organic moiety of the nanocomposites, typically represented by a toxic surfactant, could be replaced by hydrochar formed from biomolecules (e.g. glucose) via hydrothermal carbonization. The effect of montmorillonite (Mnt) and glucose dosage on hydrochar formation, however, has not been clarified. In addition, the mechanisms by which Mnt-hydrochar nanocomposites (CMnt) can detoxify and remove carcinogenic Cr(VI) from aqueous solution are not well understood. In the current study, research milestones in terms of clay–organic interactions are summarized, following which the synthesis and characterization of CMnt for Cr(VI) adsorption are outlined. Briefly, 1 g of Mnt was reacted with 75 mL of glucose solution (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 mol L⁻¹) by hydrothermal carbonization at 200°C for 16 h. The resultant CMnt samples were analyzed for chemical composition, functional groups, morphological features, and Cr(VI) adsorptive properties. Mnt promoted the conversion of glucose to hydrochars, the particle size of which (~80 nm) was appreciably smaller than that formed in the absence of Mnt (control). Furthermore, the hydrochars in CMnt had an aromatic structure with low hydrogen substitution and high stability (C/H atomic ratio 0.34–0.99). The weakened OH (from hydrochar) and Si–O–Si stretching peaks in the Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of CMnt are indicative of chemical bonding between Mnt and hydrochar. The CMnt samples were effective at removing toxic Cr(VI) from acidic aqueous solutions. Several processes were involved, including direct reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), complexation of Cr(III) with carboxyl and phenolic groups of hydrochar, electrostatic attraction between Cr(VI) and positively charged CMnt at pH 2 followed by indirect reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III), and Cr(III) precipitation.

粘土-有机相互作用是支撑土壤生态系统服务的重要自然过程。该过程还可以定制生产用于工业和环境应用的粘土-有机纳米复合材料。纳米复合材料的有机部分，通常由有毒表面活性剂代表，可以被生物分子（例如葡萄糖）通过水热碳化形成的水碳取代。然而，蒙脱石 (Mnt) 和葡萄糖剂量对水焦形成的影响尚未阐明。此外，Mnt-hydrochar 纳米复合材料 (CMnt) 解毒和去除水溶液中致癌的 Cr(VI) 的机制尚不清楚。在目前的研究中，总结了粘土-有机相互作用方面的研究里程碑，接下来概述了用于 Cr(VI) 吸附的 CMnt 的合成和表征。简而言之，1 g Mnt 与 75 mL 葡萄糖溶液（0.1、0.2、0.3、0.4、0.5 和 0.6 mol L⁻¹) 在 200°C 下水热碳化 16 小时。对所得 CMnt 样品的化学成分、官能团、形态特征和 Cr(VI) 吸附特性进行了分析。Mnt 促进葡萄糖转化为氢化物，其粒径（~80 nm）明显小于在没有 Mn 的情况下形成的粒径（对照）。此外，CMnt 中的烃类具有芳香结构，氢取代度低，稳定性高（C/H 原子比为 0.34-0.99）。CMnt 的傅立叶变换红外 (FTIR) 光谱中减弱的 OH（来自水焦）和 Si-O-Si 拉伸峰表明 Mnt 和水焦之间的化学键。CMnt 样品可有效去除酸性水溶液中的有毒 Cr(VI)。涉及几个过程，包括将 Cr(VI) 直接还原为 Cr(III)，