scholarly journals Heavy Metals in Contaminated Soils: A Review of Sources, Chemistry, Risks and Best Available Strategies for Remediation

ISRN Ecology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond A. Wuana ◽  
Felix E. Okieimen

Scattered literature is harnessed to critically review the possible sources, chemistry, potential biohazards and best available remedial strategies for a number of heavy metals (lead, chromium, arsenic, zinc, cadmium, copper, mercury and nickel) commonly found in contaminated soils. The principles, advantages and disadvantages of immobilization, soil washing and phytoremediation techniques which are frequently listed among the best demonstrated available technologies for cleaning up heavy metal contaminated sites are presented. Remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils is necessary to reduce the associated risks, make the land resource available for agricultural production, enhance food security and scale down land tenure problems arising from changes in the land use pattern.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
A. Abdullahi ◽  
M. A. Lawal ◽  
A. M. Salisu

Heavy metals contamination of soil is an issue of global concern that ultimately results in toxicity and diseases in humans and animals through consumption of food crops from contaminated soil. The toxic effects of these metals, even though they do not have any biological role, remain present in some or the other form harmful for the human body and its proper functioning. Heavy metals in the soil refers to some significant heavy metals of biological toxicity, including Cobalt (Co), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr), and Arsenic (As) etc. With the development of the global economy, both type and content of heavy metals in the soil caused by indiscriminate use for human purposes has altered their geochemical cycles and biochemical balance. There are many known sources of harmful metals, including the earth, which releases them into food, air, and water, and anthropogenic activities, such as the application of fertilizer in agriculture, the use of pesticides and herbicides, and irrigation. Other sources are automobile emissions, paints, cigarette smoking, industries, and sewage and waste disposal. This review gives details about some heavy metals their toxicity, bioaccumulation, biodegradation, mobility and solubility in contaminated soil along with their health effects. Remediation of heavy metal in contaminated soils is necessary to reduce the associated risks, make the available soil safe for agricultural production, enhance food security and scale down land tenure problems arising from changes in the land use pattern the review recommends regular monitoring of heavy metals in soil, vegetables and foodstuffs to prevent excessive accrual in food chain.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 2155-2179 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Paz-Ferreiro ◽  
H. Lu ◽  
S. Fu ◽  
A. Méndez ◽  
G. Gascó

Abstract. Anthropogenic activities are resulting in an increase on the use and extraction of heavy metals. Heavy metals cannot be degraded and hence accumulate in the environment having the potential to contaminate the food chain. This pollution threatens soil quality, plant survival and human health. The remediation of heavy metals deserves attention, but it is impaired by the cost of these processes. Phytoremediation and biochar are two sound environmental technologies which could be at the forefront to mitigate soil pollution. This review provides an overview of the current state of knowledge phytoremediation and biochar application to remediate heavy metal contaminated soils, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of both individual approaches. Research to date has attempted only in a limited number of occasions to combine both techniques, however we discuss the potential advantages of combining both remediation techniques and the potential mechanisms involved in the interaction between phytoremediators and biochar. We identified specific research needs to ensure a sustainable use of phytoremediation and biochar as remediation tools.


Author(s):  
Zygmunt M. Gusiatin ◽  
Dorota Kulikowska ◽  
Barbara Klik

Soil quality is seriously reduced due to chemical pollution, including heavy metal (HM) pollution. To meet quality standards, polluted soils must be remediated. Soil washing/soil flushing offers efficient removal of heavy metals and decreases environmental risk in polluted areas. These goals can be obtained by using proper washing agents to remove HMs from soil. These washing agents should not pose unacceptable threats to humans and ecosystems, including soil composition. Currently, it is desirable to use more environmentally and economically attractive washing agents instead of synthetic, environmentally problematic chemicals (e.g., ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)). The usefulness of novel washing agents for treatment of heavy metal-contaminated soils is being intensively developed, in terms of the efficiency of HM removal and properties of washed soils. Despite the unquestionable effectiveness of soil washing/flushing, it should be remembered that both methods generate secondary fluid waste (spent washing solution), and the final stage of the process should be treatment of the contaminated spent washing solution. This paper reviews information on soil contamination with heavy metals. This review examines the principles and status of soil washing and soil flushing. The novel contribution of this review is a presentation of the sources and characteristics of novel washing agents and chemical substitutes for EDTA, with their potential for heavy metal removal. Methods for treating spent washing solution are discussed separately.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 7099
Author(s):  
Inkyeong Moon ◽  
Honghyun Kim ◽  
Sangjo Jeong ◽  
Hyungjin Choi ◽  
Jungtae Park ◽  
...  

In this study, the geochemical properties of heavy metal-contaminated soils from a Korean military shooting range were analyzed. The chemical behavior of heavy metals was determined by analyzing the soil pH, heavy metal concentration, mineral composition, and Pb isotopes. In total, 24 soil samples were collected from a Korean military shooting range. The soil samples consist of quartz, albite, microcline, muscovite/illite, kaolinite, chlorite, and calcite. Lead minerals, such as hydrocerussite and anglesite, which are indicative of a transformation into secondary mineral phases, were not observed. All soils were strongly contaminated with Pb with minor concentrations of Cu, Ni, Cd, and Zn. Arsenic was rarely detected. The obtained results are indicated that the soils from the shooting range are contaminated with heavy metals and have evidences of different degree of anthropogenic Pb sources. This study is crucial for the evaluation of heavy metal-contaminated soils in shooting ranges and their environmental effect as well as for the establishment of management strategies for the mitigation of environmental risks.


1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 173-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee Chan-Won ◽  
Kwon Young-Tack

Over the past two decades, the coastal waters of Jinhae Bay have been extensively used by coastal communities and industries for the disposal of domestic and various industrial wastes, therefore increasing the level of pollutants in coastal waters with a subsequent increase in sediments, especially of heavy metals. Specific objectives of this research are to investigate the distribution of heavy metal concentration in biota, to compare the concentrations with those in sediment and water and to relate the bioconcentration to the different heavy metals in biota obtained from several sites. Sixty one percent of heavy metals was found in particulate form during the high runoff season and 32% during the dry season. The behavior of the particulate metals after flowing in to the enclosed coastal sea is an important factor in heavy metal contamination. Copper, lead and chromium contamination of sediment was revealed at several sites. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) of zinc, cadmium, copper, nickel, chromium and lead by the mussel (Mytilus edulis) were determined as 2,900, 2,814, 807, 423, 228 and 127 in the decreasing order, respectively. The areas located nearest to highly populated city and industries exhibited mussels with the largest accumulation of copper, lead and chromium.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 414-426
Author(s):  
A.O. Adekiya ◽  
A.P. Oloruntoba ◽  
S.O. Ojeniyi ◽  
B.S. Ewulo

Abstract The study investigated the level of heavy metal contamination in plants {maize (Zea mays) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)} from thirty soil samples of three locations (Epe, Igun and Ijana) in the Ilesha gold mining area, Osun State, Nigeria. Total concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Spatial variations were observed for all metals across the locations which was adduced to pH and the clay contents of the soils of each location. The results showed that heavy metals are more concentrated in the areas that are closer to the mining site and the concentrations in soil and plants (maize and tomato) decreased with increasing perpendicular distance from the mining site, indicating that the gold mine was the main sources of pollution. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in plants (tomato and maize) samples were considered to be contaminated as As, Cd and Pb respectively ranged from 0.6 - 2.04 mg kg-1, 0.8 - 5.2 mg kg-1, 0.8 - 3.04 mg kg-1 for tomato and respectively 0.60 - 2.00 mg kg-1, 1.50 - 4.60 mg kg-1 and 0.90 - 2.50 mg kg-1 for maize. These levels exceeded the maximum permissible limits set by FAO/WHO for vegetables. In conclusion, monitoring of crops for toxic heavy metals is essential for food safety in Nigeria.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. KHAN ◽  
N. AHMED ◽  
W. HASSAN ◽  
T. SABA ◽  
S. KHAN ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: Phytoremediation is a useful tool to restore heavy metals contaminated soils. This study was carried out to test two castor (Ricinus communis) cultivars [Local and DS-30] for phytoextraction of heavy metals from the soil spiked by known concentrations of seven metals (Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn). A pot experiment was laid out by using a completely randomized design. Soil and plant samples were analyzed at 100 days after planting. The data on heavy metal uptake by plant tissues (roots, leaves and shoots) of the two castor cultivars suggested that a considerable amount of metals (Fe = 27.18 mg L-1; Cu = 5.06 mg L-1; Cr = 2.95 mg L-1; Mn = 0.22 mg L-1; Ni = 4.66 mg L-1; Pb = 3.33 mg L-1; Zn = 15.04 mg L-1) was accumulated in the plant biomass. The soil heavy metal content at the end of experiment significantly decreased with both cultivars, resulting in improved soil quality. Therefore, it is concluded that both castor cultivars, Local and DS-30, can be used for phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated sites.


Author(s):  
Diana FLORESCU ◽  
Andreea IORDACHE ◽  
Claudia SANDRU ◽  
Elena HORJ ◽  
Roxana IONETE ◽  
...  

As a result of accidental spills or leaks, industrial wastes may enter in soil and in streams. Some of the contaminants may not be completely removed by treatment processes; therefore, they could become a problem for these sources. The use of synthetic products (e.g. pesticides, paints, batteries, industrial waste, and land application of industrial or domestic sludge) can result in heavy metal contamination of soils.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Yang ◽  
Xinyu Mao ◽  
Xiaohou Shao ◽  
Fengxiang Han ◽  
Tingting Chang ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2033
Author(s):  
Chadlia Hachani ◽  
Mohammed S. Lamhamedi ◽  
Claudio Cameselle ◽  
Susana Gouveia ◽  
Abdenbi Zine El Abidine ◽  
...  

The pollution of soils by heavy metals resulting from mining activities is one of the major environmental problems in North Africa. Mycorrhizoremediation using mycorrhizal fungi and adapted plant species is emerging as one of the most innovative methods to remediate heavy metal pollution. This study aims to assess the growth and the nutritional status of ectomycorrhizal Pinus halepensis seedlings subjected to high concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Cd for possible integration in the restoration of heavy metals contaminated sites. Ectomycorrhizal and non-ectomycorrhizal P. halepensis seedlings were grown in uncontaminated (control) and contaminated soils for 12 months. Growth, mineral nutrition, and heavy metal content were assessed. Results showed that ectomycorrhizae significantly improved shoot and roots dry masses of P. halepensis seedlings, as well as nitrogen shoot content. The absorption of Pb, Zn, and Cd was much higher in the roots than in the shoots, and significantly more pronounced in ectomycorrhizal seedlings—especially for Zn and Cd. The presence of ectomycorrhizae significantly reduced the translocation factor of Zn and Cd and bioaccumulation factor of Pb and Cd, which enhanced the phytostabilizing potential of P. halepensis seedlings. These results support the use of ectomycorrhizal P. halepensis in the remediation of heavy metal contaminated sites.


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