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Soil heavy metal pollution is one of the hottest topics in soil environmental research. There are a large number of small abandoned metal mines in China. Due to the lack of timely restoration and treatment, the heavy metal concentration in the soil within these mining areas often exceeds the local background levels, facilitating pollution spread to other natural factors such as precipitation, resulting in a wider extent of continuous contamination. This paper investigates the current status of heavy metal pollution in an abandoned small lead-zinc mine, particularly examining the concentrations of 10 specific heavy metals (V, Cr, Ni, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Cu, Co) in soil samples. Additionally, it explores the extent of contamination caused by these heavy metals within the area. Besides, principal component analysis and positive matrix factorization model (PMF) were adopted to determine the sources of these heavy metals. The risk assessment of the pollution status was also carried out. The provision of a scientific basis for mining area management under similar conditions holds significant importance. The results indicate a significant positive correlation among the majority of these 10 heavy metals in soil. The presence of these heavy metals in the soil within the concentrator and tailings reservoir area primarily stems from mining operations, construction activities, and discharges from the power system. Hg, Pb, Zn, and As in the surrounding agricultural land mainly come from the heavy metal spillover from the mining area. Furthermore, the area is plagued by severe contamination from As and Pb. The Nemerow comprehensive index method has confirmed substantial pollution in both the concentrator and tailings reservoir. Additionally, there exists a substantial ecological risk ranging from moderate to high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal pollution in the environment is a major concern for humans as it is non-biodegradable and can have a lot of effects on the environment, humans as well as plants. At present, a solution to this problem is suggested in terms of a new, innovative and eco-friendly technology known as phytoremediation. Bast fiber plants are typically non-edible crops that have a short life cycle. It is one of the significant crops that has attracted interest for many industrial uses because of its constant fiber supply and ease of maintenance. Due to its low maintenance requirements with minimum economic investment, bast fiber plants have been widely used in phytoremediation. Nevertheless, these plants have the ability to extract metals from the soil through their deep roots, combined with their commercial prospects, making them an ideal candidate as a profit-yielding crop for phytoremediation purposes. Therefore, a comprehensive review is needed for a better understanding of the morphology and phytoremediation mechanism of four commonly bast fiber plants, such as hemp (Cannabis sativa), kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), jute (Corchorus olitorius) and Flax (Linum usitatissimum). This review article summarizes the existing research on the phytoremediation potential of these plants grown in different toxic pollutants such as Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) and Zinc (Zn). This work also discusses several aids including natural and chemical amendments to improve phytoremediation. The role of these amendments in the bioavailability of contaminants, their uptake, translocation and bioaccumulation, as well as their effect on plant growth and development, has been highlighted in this paper. This paper helps in identifying, comparing and addressing the recent achievements of bast fiber plants for the phytoremediation of heavy metals in contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal (HM) accumulation in soil affects plants and soil fauna, yet the effect on microbial alpha-diversity remains unclear, mainly due to the absence of dedicated research synthesis (e.g. meta-analysis). Here, we report the first meta-analysis of the response of soil microbial alpha-diversity to the experimental addition of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu). We considered studies conducted between 2013 and 2022 using DNA metabarcoding of bacterial and fungal communities to overcome limitations of other cultivation- and electrophoresis-based techniques. Fungi were discarded due to the limited study number (i.e. 6 studies). Bacterial studies resulted in 66 independent experiments reported in 32 primary papers from four continents. We found a negative dose-dependent response for Cu but not for Cd for bacterial alpha-diversity in the environments, only for Cu additions exceeding 29.6 mg kg−1 (first loss of − 0.06% at 30 mg kg−1). The maximal loss of bacterial alpha-diversity registered was 13.89% at 3837 mg kg−1. Our results first highlight that bacterial communities behave differently to soil pollution depending on the metal. Secondly, our study suggests that even extreme doses of Cu do not cause a dramatic loss in alpha-diversity, highlighting how the behaviour of bacterial communities diverges from soil macro-organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents experimental data on concentrations of a wide range of pollutants, including persistent organic pollutants (organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, toxaphenes), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals, in soil and adjacent environments in the impact area of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM) and neighboring areas (including the city of Baikal'sk). The features of toxicants levels formation depending on a type and properties of soil, potential sources of inflow, and location of sampling points are analyzed. The data are of practical interest for assessing the levels of the natural environment pollution prior to starting measures for the disposal of waste from the BPPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High concentrations of heavy metals in the environment will cause serious harm to ecosystems and human health. It is urgent to develop effective methods to control soil heavy metal pollution. Phytoremediation has advantages and potential for soil heavy metal pollution control. However, the current hyperaccumulators have the disadvantages of poor environmental adaptability, single enrichment species and small biomass. Based on the concept of modularity, synthetic biology makes it possible to design a wide range of organisms. In this paper, a comprehensive strategy of "microbial biosensor detection - phytoremediation - heavy metal recovery" for soil heavy metal pollution control was proposed, and the required steps were modified by using synthetic biology methods. This paper summarizes the new experimental methods that promote the discovery of synthetic biological elements and the construction of circuits, and combs the methods of producing transgenic plants to facilitate the transformation of constructed synthetic biological vectors. Finally, the problems that should be paid more attention to in the remediation of soil heavy metal pollution based on synthetic biology were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Domestic waste management is an extremely important issue for all countries of the world, especially for the countries of the former Soviet Union, as the current state of solid waste disposal in Ukraine is extremely unsatisfactory. According to the European Commission, the amount of waste in the European Union has increased in recent years to more than 2.5 billion tons per year. The results of the Waste Atlas report on the world's 50 largest landfills show that 64 million people are affected by the 50 largest landfills every day. Ukraine has a total of 6045 landfills and dumpsites. The general trend in Ukraine, in contrast to European countries, is a low level of recycling and utilization of solid waste and a high rate of landfill disposal. The vast majority of landfills (80 to 90%) operate in overload mode. Landfills, in particular solid waste landfills, are the main pollutants of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and soil. Therefore, determining the level of environmental hazard of heavy metals in the soil as a result of the impact of landfills and solid waste dumps is very important. Objective. The purpose of the article is to determine the impact of solid waste landfills on public health due to soil contamination with heavy metals. Methodology. In order to determine the level of environmental hazard of household waste storage at landfills and dumps, the paper assesses the risk to public health from soil contamination in the area of the Hrybovychi landfill (Lviv oblast), Rohan landfill (Kharkiv oblast), and Novovodolazhske landfill (Kharkiv oblast). The risk to public health from soil contamination at solid waste landfills was assessed using the traditional US EPA method and a new method for determining the potential risk to public health from soil contamination with heavy metals. Results. The article compares two fundamentally different methodological approaches to determining the level of environmental hazard of soil contamination with heavy metals. The risk to public health from soil contamination on the territory of solid waste landfills according to the US EPA method corresponds to hazard class 5 (extremely high hazard level) according to all calculations. The results of the assessment of the potential risk to public health from soil contamination using the new method at solid waste landfills correspond to hazard classes 2-4. Comparison of methodological principles for assessing the risk to public health from soil pollution has shown the advantages of using the new method of potential risk assessment. The use of the new method of assessing the potential risk to public health from soil pollution will help improve science-based management of household waste and direct financial resources to reduce the environmental hazard of soil and land pollution in Ukraine. Scientific novelty. The article presents an improved method for assessing the risk to public health from soil pollution, which represents the scientific novelty of the work Practical significance. Determining the environmental hazard of soil pollution due to the impact of landfills and solid waste dumps makes it possible to prioritize the implementation of environmental protection measures and will contribute to the implementation of environmentally sound environmental management, so the research is of practical importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to elucidate the environmental capacity of heavy metal in soils of an urbanization gradient zone of Urumqi City, a total of 88 surface soil samples were thereby collected from the typical gradient zone including urban, suburban, rural and wasteland areas, and heavy metal contents of Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cu, Ni, and Zn in soils were measured, and the characteristics and spatial distribution pattern of the environmental capacity of soils was analyzed based on the GIS and the method of comprehensive environmental index (PI). As a result, the investigation showed that heavy metal contents in topsoil of the urbanization gradient zone along the areas of urban, suburban, rural and wasteland differed in a certain degree, and Hg had been evidently enriched in soils of all the areas of the gradient zone; the mean PIs of heavy metals in soils of the urbanization gradient zone were arranged in order of decreasing magnitude: rural> suburban>wasteland> urban, the relevant environmental capacity of all the areas being mediocre. As to the spatial pattern, individual environmental capacity index of each single heavy metal in soils of those areas was different, and low PI mainly distributed in the urban area, which indicated a significant impact of urbanization on soil environmental capacity. The dynamic annual capacity and static annual capacity of each heavy metal were in order of decreasing magnitude: Zn> Ni> Pb> Cu> As> Hg> Cd. In addition, the dynamic annual capacity of heavy metals in soils of each arear of the gradient zone showed a trend 20 a > 40 a > 60 a > 80 a > 100 a. The aver-age dynamic annual capacity of every kind of heavy metal in soil of each gradient zone area was greater than the static annual capacity in fixed number of years, and as a whole, the environmental capacity of soils tended better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iraqi Journal of Science is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Accurate and reliable laboratory results are an extremely important and integral part of conducting scientific research. Many factors influence the results obtained, including the type of determination method, accuracy and precision of measurements, and laboratory equipment used for the tests. This paper presents the results of measurements of heavy metal concentration in soil using two methods for adding soil components into solution and different laboratory methods and types of measuring equipment. The first method used was hot digestion of soil samples with a mixture of concentrated HNO3 and HClO4, after prior ashing of organic matter (IUNG method). The second method was a two-stage decomposition, where soil samples were hot digested, initially with oxidizing acid (HNO3) and subsequently with non-oxidizing acid (HF) (two-stage decomposition). The concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were determined in solutions obtained by both digestion methods. The solutions obtained from soil decomposition were determined twice using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS) methods in different laboratories using different types of spectrometers. In most cases, the measured concentrations of heavy metals are the highest for the two-stage solution samples and the measurements of their concentrations carried out using ICP. The exceptions are the measurements of Cu and Ni concentrations. In the case of Cu, lack of significant differentiation in concentrations of this metal may result from different forms of occurrence of Cu in soil than in the case of other metals. For Ni, however, a reversal of the trends seen for the other metals is observed and the type of spectrometer used for measurements is important. There may be an interference of the spectrometric spectrum of Ni with the spectra of the other determined metals. However, this is not clear at the present stage of the study. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that the choice of soil sample preparation and the type of spectrometer used for measurements can, in many cases, determine the value of laboratory results, even if it is in an expected range of standard material. Research of published papers proved that most of them show only results based on one selected course of methodology without comparison with others. The novelty of the paper is the comparison of the measurements of heavy metal concentration in soil using two methods for adding soil components into solution and different laboratory methods and types of measuring equipment. Additionally, the article includes a discussion of the importance of methodology. We believe that the conclusions may help to better understand how sample preparation and measurement methods applied may influence the results obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mining is a vital industrial activity but often associated with negative environmental effects, including the accumulation of waste containing heavy metals in tailings dump. These heavy metals, such as lead, chromium, copper, zinc, cadmium, mercury, and others, pose significant risks to the environment and human health. The mobility of these heavy metals is a major concern, as they can be released into soil and water during rain or erosion processes, contaminating water sources and affecting aquatic and terrestrial life. These metals can be taken over by plants and eventually end up in the trophic chain, including in humans. The toxicity of heavy metals is well known, with these substances having harmful effects on human health. In this paper, the main ways of transferring heavy metals into environmental components and their spatial distribution from sterile holes to water and soil environment components. As a case study, the sterile Balomir hole, an inactive hole for about 9 years resulting from the exploitation of the hule from the Uricani mine located in the Jiu Valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic contaminants which consist of toxic metals and salts are notable for their wide environmental dispersion and their tendency to accumulate in the tissues of the human body. Heavy metals are the major inorganic contaminants in abattoir soils. These metals, even at relatively low concentrations, are toxic. Hence the objective of this paper was to determine the concentration of Pb, Hg, Co, V, As, Fe, Cu, Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Zn and their potential sources of pollution in soil from two abattoirs in Itu and Ikot Ekpene Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria using appropriate standard methods after the dry oxidation. The concentrations of heavy metals were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The distribution of heavy metals contaminants in the Itu abattoir was of the order Hg < As < V < Cr < Co < Mn < Ni < Pb < Cd < Cu < Zn < Fe, while that of the Ikot Ekpene abattoir was Hg < As < Co < V < Cr < Mn < Pb < Ni < Cd < Cu < Zn < Fe. The mean order obtained for both abattoirs was Hg < As < V < Cr < Co < Mn < Ni < Pb < Cd < Cu < Zn < Fe. The results were subjected to some pollution indices to ascertain the level of ecological impacts on both plants and animals ecosystem around the abattoirs. The contamination factor, geo-accumulation index, degree of contamination, and pollution load index depict no pollution. Generally, all metals investigated were below the permissible limits of DUTCH, FEPA, WHO/FAO, and NESREA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to summarize the research progresses in the effects of the interactions between active soil organic carbon (SOC) components and minerals on the sorption, immobilization, remobilization, transport, and bioavailability of heavy metals (HMs) in the environment. Materials and methods: This paper presents a discussion based on a bibliometric analysis of the interactions between SOC components and minerals and their influence on the fate of HMs. An in-depth and comprehensive analysis of publication characteristics of 3351 articles using VOSviewer, Histcite, and Bibliometrix was conducted. Results and discussion: The analyses revealed that the number of articles in this field varied in four stages and China dominated research in this field. The Chinese Academy of Sciences was the center with the most productive cooperation network and registered the largest number of publications. The analysis of the co-occurrence of keywords showed that the coexistence of SOC components would increase or decrease the adsorption and immobilization of HMs on minerals, and this was influenced by environmental parameters such as pH, redox potential, and solution ionic strength. Anionic HMs have become a research hotspot in recent years, and their environmental behaviors, especially redox reactions at the mineral micro solid-phase interfaces, were significantly influenced by the coexistence of active SOC components. The ternary interaction mechanisms between SOC components, minerals, and HMs were complex and presented no clear reasons why some SOC components would inhibit HM adsorption. Based on the bibliometric analysis and mechanistic insights, we make the following recommendations: Research on the molecular interaction mechanisms at the micro/nanoscale interfaces between SOC components, especially microorganisms and biochar, and minerals with HMs needs to be expanded; the redox transformation of anionic HMs at the organo-mineral interfaces is important for their remediation; the establishment of an accurate model is critical to predict and control the environmental risks of HMs, thus expanding research in this field at the micro/nanoscale could speed up the development of new remediation technologies. There is, therefore, a need to develop more advanced in situ methods for characterizing micro/nanoscale interfaces of ternary systems and the environmental behaviors of HMs at the interfaces. Conclusions: The environmental behaviors of HMs were affected by the mineral-SOC/soil organic matter (SOM) interaction and environmental conditions. The biochar/microbial-mineral interaction should be of more concern and exploring mineral-SOC/SOM-HM ternary interaction mechanisms by high-resolution characterization technology is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana is the property of Sociedad Geologica Mexicana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Soil pollution with heavy metals is a serious issue worldwide. Metal pollution has serious implications for the human health and environment. Phytoremediation is considered an economical and environmentally friendly method of exploiting plants to extract contaminants from soil. The purpose of this paper is to study the maize seedling, growing and behaviour in a soil polluted with heavy metals. Maize is known from literature as lead accumulators in artificially polluted soil with 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg/kg Pb of soil and in the presence of different treatments with EDTA as the mobilization agent. This means that the treatment for phytoextraction (Pb concentration, EDTA concentration) is expressed in the biomass. From the statistical calculation it results that in the variant with 1000 mg Pb/kg soil + ratio EDTA/Pb = 0.5 have no significant decrease in leaf weight. In conclusion, EDTA application does not influence hyperaccumulation. The toxicity of 3000 mg Pb/kg is too high and the plant does not tolerate this toxicity. Another ligand/lead ratio has to be chosen and other solutions are sought to stimulate plant growth and increase the accumulation of metals in the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental Science & Technology (10036504) is the property of Editorial Board of Environmental Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The increasing rate of natural resource use leads to an increase in the anthropogenic load on the soil. As the result of industrial, metallurgical and mining activities, excessive amounts of heavy metals (HMs) enter the soil. In addition, they can be introduced with waste and drainage water from various enterprises. Accumulating in the soil, HMs can negatively affect the soil bacterial community, which is one of the main factors of its "health". Molecular genetic methods based on shotgun sequencing or metabarcoding of standard DNA sequences (for example, the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria) are the modern ways to assess the bacterial diversity of soils. This review presents the results of modern studies on the effect of HMs on the soil bacterial communities, using metagenomic methods. Based on the analysis of publications over the past two decades, a generally negative effect of pollutants on the taxonomic composition and diversity of bacterial communities has been shown. The influence of factors modulating the toxicity of metals and metalloids was noted: the amount and composition of salts, soil pH, ecosystem type, rhizosphere presence and other soil properties. In this paper, promising directions of research are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxic pollutants of industrial origin can be dangerous for professionals who come into contact with them at work, and also for the people who live near the sources of environmental hazards. There is a known relationship between the soil pollution with heavy metals and the morbidity of the population. This paper reports a study of the soil pollution with ions of heavy metals in the Turkestan region, Kazakhstan. The study found technogenic geochemical anomalies of various size, intensity and origin in the soils of the Turkestan region. The distribution of lead, copper, barium, zinc, molybdenum, phosphorus and arsenic was mapped based on the ecological and geochemical survey of the upper soil layer. The most polluted city is Kentau, where concentrations of Pb, Mo, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Mn, Cr, Ni in the soil exceed the allowable level. The cause of pollution is erosion that occurs in the areas of technogenic waste storage. In some communities, the concentration of only one metal exceeded its MAC or the Clarke number, for example, only scandium exceeded its Clarke number by 1.1 in Lenger and only exceeded its Clarke number by 2.75 in Sholakkorgan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the increase in the amount of sewage sludge as a result of the development of urbanization, and the pollution of the environment through the storage of this sludge, the objective of this paper is to analyze the effects of the action of different doses of urban sewage sludge as a fertilizer for agricultural soil. Starting from the legislative recommendations regarding the use of urban sewage sludge in agriculture, we analyzed the sludge resulting from the sewage treatment plant in the Municipality of Alexandria, Romania. This sewage treatment plant, with two technological lines of water and sludge treatment, produces urban sewage sludge without pathogenic bacteria. We highlighted that by applying sewage sludge doses of 15 t/ha and 25 t/ha to agricultural soils, on which we planted soybean and wheat crops. We obtained high yields, and the concentration of heavy metals in the roots, stems and grains of soybean and wheat crops did not exceed the maximum standard limits allowed. Having a high content of organic matter and nutrients important for plants such as nitrogen, ammonium, potassium and zinc, sewage sludge has improved the fertility, physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, and is able to be used as a fertilizer for degraded soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there is relatively little research on the synergistic effects of heavy metals in soil, sediment, and bedrock on heavy metal pollution in water bodies. In this paper, heavy metals in soil, sediment, bedrock, and water of a typical karst watershed in southwest China were investigated. The results indicated that the average values of heavy metals in soil and sediment were relatively higher than those in bedrock except for Ni and As. During the research period, As and Cd were the main heavy metal elements polluting the soil and sediment in the study area, while water bodies were mainly polluted by Ni, As, and Cd. The pollution assessment indicated that there were instances of poor or very poor water quality in the study area during the study period; the soil as a whole was slightly polluted by Cd and As; sediment was subject to moderate Cd pollution and mild As pollution. Analysis of geochemical form for heavy metals showed that heavy metals in soil and sediment were mainly in residual form, and the proportions of exchangeable As and Cd were relatively high. Multiple statistical analysis showed that heavy metals in sediment, soil, and bedrock explained 23.8%, 16. 8%, and 16. 2% of the changes in heavy metals of water, respectively. The research results Can provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in water bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose an alternative to the known permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). PRB is one of the methods, which is a reactive barrier placed below the ground, to clean up contaminated groundwater. New polymer active substrates (ASs) were used to prevent soil contamination by toxic heavy metals. The active substrates consisted of a mixture of poly(vinyl chloride), Aliquat 336, and bis(2-ethylhexyl)adipate, which was applied to the skeleton material (fiberglass or textile). Aliquat 336 was used as a binding agent for metal ions (Cr(VI), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II)). In contrast with the PRBs, the ASs (from AS-1 to AS-5) were obtained in a simple way using the pouring method. The obtained ASs could be recycled and reused. The active substrates were used for the binding of various metal ions from aqueous solutions and the examined soil. It was found that the active substrate AS-1 decreased the concentrations of nickel, cadmium, and lead by more than 50% and that of chromium by more than 90% in the aqueous solution. High sorption efficiency for chromium and zinc metals (81% and 66%) with the use of AS-2 was also found, owing to which the migration of metals from soil to water can be limited. In the soil environment, active substrate AS-5 with the addition of a plasticizer showed the greatest effectiveness. This solution resulted in a reduction in each tested metal ion of at least 50%, and reductions in cadmium, lead, and copper of over 70%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals are distributed within soil profile according to their chemical state, transferred by hydrological flows and taken up by organisms through trophic pathways. Persistent pollutants include Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Ni, which cannot be removed or destroyed, leading to bioaccumulation. In soil, the maximum permissible limit for the European Union are 100 mg/kg Cu, 300 mg/kg Zn, 50 mg/kg Ni, 3 mg/kg Cd, 250 mg/kg Pb. Adsorption and desorption take place through the exchange of molecules and ions between the solid phase of heavy metals and the liquid phase of the soil, and are in accordance with the soil components: colloidal clay content, pH, organic matter, amount of carbonates and salts. The paper aim is to characterized two soil profiles up to 110 cm depth, collected from Agromixt Spineni Farm, Iasi which govern heavy metal adsorption and desorption process. The results present a neutral to alkaline (pH up to 8.81) soil pH, a carbonate content between 0.56% - 19.62% and salt content from 52-554 mg/100g soil. The results indicate that heavy metals are deposited and accumulated in the surface soil layers 0-30 cm depth. The solubility of carbonates and the presence of salts in high concentrations can retain copper (3.1 mg/Kg), nickel (1.5 mg/Kg) and lead (6.8 mg/Kg). The increased content of organic matter, weakly acidic or neutral pH values allow an increase in the mobility of zinc (15.5 mg/Kg) and cadmium. (1.0 mg/Kg). The accessibility of heavy metals can be reduced in alkaline media by desorption phenomenon, and their effect on the environment will be low and pose no risk to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to evaluate some analytical methods used to determine the fractions of potentially toxic metals, based on their dependence on soil type. The degree of dependence on soil type determines the applicability of the method. The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the single- and multi-step extraction methods included in the study in terms of the environmental mobility of Cu, Zn, Fe and Ni. For the studies, we selected four samples with different physical soil types from the Soil Information and Monitoring System database. In order to establish trends, soil samples were selected so that their clay and humus content, i.e., their adsorption capacity as well as their pH increased in the order of sand, sandy loam, loam and clay soils. One-step extractions with five different extractants and two sequential extraction analyses including 3+1 steps were performed (BCR and McGrath methods). We also performed the digestion of the samples with H2O2 + HNO3 solvent combined with microwave treatment according to the Hungarian Standard (MSZ 21470-50). The element content determined in this way can be considered as the "total" element content from the environmental point of view. Based on the results of the analyses, we tried to select from the methods included in the study those that already extract a safe amount of elements from the soil, but the extracted amount is not yet proportional to the total element content. The Zn, Cu, Fe and Ni contents resulting from microwave digestion increased in the order of sand, sandy loam, loam and clay soils, i.e. in parallel with the clay and humus content and pH of the soils. As the extractants containing chelating agents extracted about one-third of the total copper content, the amount extracted was proportional to the copper content, i.e. it increased in parallel with the increase in copper content. Thus, in the case of copper, these extractants are less suitable for detecting differences in the toxicity of different soil types. In contrast to copper, in the case of the other three elements, the small amounts extracted from each soil type also differed in order of magnitude, so according to our theoretical consideration, it can be assumed that they show a difference between the toxicity of each soil type. The results obtained with iron using the two sequential methods could not be evaluated due to their standard deviation. It can be stated that BCR uses more aggressive extractants than the McGrath method, accordingly, the BCR method extracted 36%, whereas the McGrath method only 9% of the elements on average of the soils. The BCR method does not have an aqueous weak extractant, which would indicate the amount of ions released from the total element content of the different soils. Acetic acid is the weakest extractant, but in addition to the exchangeable element content, it also extracts the ionic element content bound to carbonates, which is certainly not free. Because a large amount of elements is extracted with each extractant in the BCR method, there is no significant difference in the percentage of elements extracted for each soil, which, given that soil element content increases from sand to clay soil, means that the extracted amount is proportional to total element content. Basically, the same can be said for the two more aggressive extractants of the McGrath method, despite the fact that they extract significantly less amount of elements. In contrast, as described in the method, the water-soluble and exchangeable element content can be inferred from the 0.1 M calcium chloride extract, thus it certainly indicates soil toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agrochemistry & Soil Science / Agrokémia és Talajtan is the property of Akademiai Kiado and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Considering that worldwide the amount of sludge from sewage treatment plants has increased, which through storage pollutes the environment, solutions must be found for its management. In this paper, through an analysis of studies from the literature, we present an ecological method of recovery of sewage sludge (SS) in agriculture through vermicomposting with Eisenia etida, Eisenia andrei, Eudrilus eugeniae and Perionyx excavatus earthworms, thus we analyzed the possibility that sewage sludge can be transformed from waste into quality fertilizer that benefits the soil, plants, and people, thus being able to replace chemical fertilizers which, if applied to the soil, can acidify and pollute the soil and agricultural crops. We observed that the total nitrogen content of the phosphorus increased. Through the vermicomposting process, organic substances are rapidly decomposed and nitrogen mineralization is accelerated. We studied the impact of dewatered sewage sludge vermicomposting on pH value, electrical conductivity, porosity, moisture content, nitrogen content, water retention capacity, metal content, and the development of agricultural crops, highlighting the positive impact of vermicompost application on the soil. Adding vermicompost to the soil has been observed to improve plant development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agro-Environment Science is the property of Journal of Agro-Environment Science Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of farmland processes is essential to ensure the proper crop monitoring and early decision making needed to support efficient resource management in agriculture. By creating appropriate crop management strategies, one can increase harvest efficiency while reducing costs, waste, chemical spraying, and inhibiting the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on crop stress. Only reliable spatial information makes it possible to comprehend the influence of various factors on the environment. The main objective of the research presented in the paper was to assess the possibility of using maps of vegetation and soil indices, such as NDVI, SAVI, IRECI, CIred-edge, PSRI and HMSSI, calculated on the basis of images from the Sentinel-2 satellite, to qualitatively determine the increased amount of heavy metals in the soil in the areas of small agricultural plots around the Barania Góra nature reserve in Poland. The conducted pilot project shows that the spectral indices: NDVI, SAVI, IRECI, CIred-edge, PSRI, and HMSSI, calculated on the basis of images from Sentinel-2, have the potential to assess the content of nickel zinc, chromium and cobalt in the soil on agricultural plots. However, the confirmation of the obtained results requires continuation of the research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is unique acidic wastewater produced in the process of iron mining and utilization. The soil and wetland contaminated by AMD in a mining area in Ma'anshan were studied in this paper. The physical and chemical characteristics and microbial community structure of the samples were analyzed to evaluate the resident soil pollution. The results showed that the soil around the acid reservoir was seriously polluted by metals such as Fe, Mn, Cd, and sulfate, and the loss of organic matter and total nitrogen was serious. With the increased distance between soil samples and the acid reservoir, the pollution degree of AMD decreased, the soil pH, organic matter and total nitrogen contents increased gradually, the soil microbial species increased slightly, and the diversity index increased. Bacillus, Lactococcus, and other bacteria with hydrolytic acid-producing functions accounted for more than 55.0% of the total bacterial community. Desulfuromonas, Desulfobulbus, and other genes involved in sulfur metabolism accounted for more than 24.0% of the total microbial community. In addition, Nitrosophaera, Nitrosopumilus, Methanoregula, and Methanosphaerula, which were involved in nitrogen cycling, were the dominant bacteria in the sampled soil. Our findings provide the basic data to support the mineral industry in China as well as for ecological functional evaluation based on species differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil heavy metal pollution has become one of the hot environmental issues of global concern, and its treatment and remediation has become a major scientific and technological demand for social and economic development. Soil animal earthworm-plant remediation has become a new way to control soil heavy metal pollution. Based on a large number of documents at home and abroad, this paper expounds the important role of earthworms in phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soil from three aspects, including changing soil physical and chemical properties from earthworm activities to accelerate phytoremediation of heavy metals, promoting phytoremediation of heavy metals by earthworm and microbial interaction, change of heavy metal morphology by earthworm secretion and excrement to affect phytoremediation of heavy metals, so as to provide theoretical reference for subsequent related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agro-Environment Science is the property of Journal of Agro-Environment Science Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The stabilization/solidification (S/S) method is one of the most effective remediation techniques for treating contaminated soils. Several stabilizers, mostly the cementitious materials, have been used for the S/S treatment. In this paper, the feasibility of utilizing fuel fly ash (FFA) as a partial replacement of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) for the S/S treatment of marl soil contaminated with heavy metals was investigated. Two industrial waste materials, namely steel and electroplating wastes, were used to synthetically contaminate the marl soil. The stabilizers comprising of OPC and FFA were mixed with the contaminated soil at different dosages ranging from 10 to 40%, by mass, and a total of 48 S/S-treated soil mixtures were prepared. A series of experiments, including density, porosity, permeability, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP), were carried out on the soil mixtures to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed S/S treatment. Test results showed that the incorporation of FFA at higher volumes reduced the density and increased the porosity and permeability of the treated mixtures. Although FFA addition resulted in reducing the UCS values by an average of 46%, and this reduction was more significant at higher FFA percentages, the UCS values of all mixtures were more than 0.35 MPa (350 kPa), which passed the minimum requirements set by USEPA. In addition, the metal immobilization ability of the proposed treatment was confirmed by the TCLP analysis. As compared to the negative effect of the contamination of the soil by the electroplating waste, the contamination of the soil by steel waste had a higher negative effect. The results of this study would contribute in selecting an environment-friendly treatment of the contaminated soils using industrial waste materials, such as FFA, as a partial replacement of OPC. Nevertheless, the present study is an initial attempt to explore the possibility of utilizing FFA as a partial replacement of OPC in S/S treatment of marl soil contaminated with heavy metals. It is recommended to conduct another study in future including analysis of the treated soil mixtures using XRD, SEM, and FTIR techniques to better understand the stabilization/solidification mechanism and its implications on the test results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry / Zhongguo Wuji Fenxi Huaxue is the property of Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry / Zhongguo Wuji Fenxi Huaxue is the property of Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Contamination by heavy metals is a significant issue worldwide. In recent decades, soil heavy metals pollutants in China had adverse impacts on soil quality and threatened food security and human health. Anthropogenic inputs mainly generate heavy metal contamination in China. In this review, the approaches were used in these investigations, focusing on geochemical strategies and metal isotope methods, particularly useful for determining the pathway of mining and smelting derived pollution in the soil. Our findings indicate that heavy metal distribution substantially impacts topsoils around mining and smelting sites, which release massive amounts of heavy metals into the environment. Furthermore, heavy metal contamination and related hazards posed by Pb, Cd, As, and Hg are more severe to plants, soil organisms, and humans. It's worth observing that kids are particularly vulnerable to Pb toxicity. And this review also provides novel approaches to control and reduce the impacts of heavy metal pollution. Hydrometallurgy offers a potential method for extracting metals and removing potentially harmful heavy metals from waste to reduce pollution. However, environmentally friendly remediation of contaminated sites is a significant challenge. This paper also evaluates current technological advancements in the remediation of polluted soil, such as stabilization/solidification, natural attenuation, electrokinetic remediation, soil washing, and phytoremediation. The ability of biological approaches, especially phytoremediation, is cost-effective and favorable to the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mineral Resources Management / Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi is the property of Mineral & Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigated the spectral characteristics of heavy metal contaminated soils of a hydrothermal ore deposit developed in carbonate host rock associated with heavy metal concentration and mineral composition. The results showed that spectral response of heavy metal contaminated soils was statistically correlated with zinc, cadmium, and lead concentrations. Empirical equations for predicting zinc, cadmium, and lead concentrations were derived. Spectral characteristics of the soils were expressed by smectite, chlorite, tremolite, and talc which resulted from hydrothermal alteration and weathering products of the parent rocks. The stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) model of zinc, cadmium, and lead was statistically satisfactory with $R^{2}$ greater than 0.7. The SMLR results indicated that the spectral response to cadmium and zinc concentration was sensitive to reflectance at 1850 nm and first derivative at ~950 and 2154 nm corresponding to the smectite absorption features. On the other hand, lead concentration is closely related to first derivatives at 1453, 2316, and 2337 nm, which are absorption features of chlorite, tremolite, and talc. These results revealed that the spectral bands sensitive to the heavy metal concentration varied with the geochemical absorption mechanism between specific minerals and heavy metal elements. Therefore, the geological setting of the soils is one of the major controlling factors associated with spectral response to heavy metal contamination. Given the fact that a hydrothermal ore deposit is one of the most widely distributed types, the laboratory result of this paper may be applied to the real-world cases with similar geological environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agrochemistry & Soil Science / Agrokémia és Talajtan is the property of Akademiai Kiado and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to define suitable tracers that are particularly significant in assessing the impact on the surrounding environment caused by a steel making plant. Design/methodology/approach – The authors focussed on the detection and quantification of inorganic pollutants such as heavy metals in the soil and in the air in the surrounding area of the steel making plant. The presented data, concerning a plant in the North part of Italy, come from an approach that took into account the advantages of different devices and sampling criteria: apart from conventional devices, two kinds of deposimeters have been used (for characterizing either total or wet/dry depositions). Their locations have been chosen taking into account the distance from the plant. Findings – The paper demonstrates that the presence of diffused emissions plays an important (negative) role still today; thus a modern plant should reduce this kind of emission in order to be accepted from the population living in the surroundings. In the analyzed case study, the benefits of adopting the best available technologies can be seen from the temporal variability of the incidence of the plant. Originality/value – The value of the paper is in the support that it can give to decision makers that must manage a steel making plant in an area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the radiological and heavy metal risk assessment to evaluate the impact of coal-fired power plants on humans and the environment in Turkey. Radiological evaluation was performed in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. For the freshwater reference organisms, total dose rates for insect larvae, mollusc bivalve, and gastropod, and zooplankton show radiological risk. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, contamination factor, ecological risk, and geoaccumulation index for heavy metal risk assessment are the aspects of interest. Long-term exposure of children to heavy metals in coal may cause non-carcinogenic harmful effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The paper presents the results of studies conducted on the basis of the former Smolensk branch of Pryanishnikov Institute of Agrochemistry, in the village of Olsha, Smolensk district, Smolensk region. In a long field experiment, various fertilizer systems were studied, their effect and aftereffect on the qualitative and quantitative crop yield, soil properties. Methods: A stationary field experiment was established in 1978. The aftereffect of fertilization systems on oats has been studied since 2009. The aftereffect was studied in 2015-2016 and 2017. With one dose of organic fertilizer (compost based on cattle manure - cattle), over 30 years of experience, 17.4 tons of organic matter, 435 kg of total nitrogen, 198 kg of phosphorus (P2O5), 621 kg of potassium (K2O) entered the soil. A single calculated dose of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium corresponded to 25.5 kg of active ingredient per ha-1. Result: With prolonged use of fertilizers, the content of heavy metals in the soil did not exceed the calculated permissible concentration. However, at a fivefold norm (N150P150K150 + 15 t ha-1), the cadmium content was overestimated. An ecologically justified dose of aftereffect in the Smolensk region on sod-podzolic soil should be considered a fourfold dose of mineral components and compost (N120P120K120 + 12 t ha-1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, as our main goal, we had the analysis of heavy metals in the water and sludge of wells, in residential areas, and the land near these wells, in the villages: Vrajak, Ratkoc and Rogovë, in the area of Rahovec. Also, the physic-chemical parameters have been our goal in the study, to make the assessment of the current situation, taking into account the climatic factors, at the time when we did the analysis. Groundwater was characterized with high solubility of salts (high or medium hardness), in contrast to surface waters, especially those at high altitudes, where the amount of magnesium and calcium salts, is smaller. Thus, it is very important to assess the quality of water in wells used as drinking water sources by people living in these villages in the municipality of Rahovec. Sampling was done in the monthly period (August/2018). By using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), the concentrations of 10 elements were determined in: water, sludge and soil samples (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry / Zhongguo Wuji Fenxi Huaxue is the property of Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Chinese Journal of Inorganic Analytical Chemistry / Zhongguo Wuji Fenxi Huaxue is the property of Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on the bibliometrics analysis, this paper firstly identifies that the research focus of humic acid-based material immobilization field is on immobilization remediation effect and remediation mechanism.Based on the two research focuses identified, the heavy metals in soil were classified into those in the form of cations（e.g.Cd, Pb, Hg, etc.) and those in the form of oxygen anions（e.g.As and Cr),and the immobilization effects and immobilization mechanisms of humic acid and humic acid-based materials on soil heavy metals were systematically reviewed.Humic acid and humic acid-based materials have highly effective to immobilize soil heavy metals, and their immobilization mechanisms mainly include complexation, ion exchange, electrostatic interaction, redox and co-precipitation with introduced modified materials.This review further points out the shortcomings of humic acid-based materials in immobilization remediation technology in terms of practical applications and provides an outlook on future research directions, in order to provide scientific references for in situ immobilization remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the paper was to determine the activity of Cs and K radionuclides as well as heavy metals Zn, Cr, Pb in soil samples taken from the Tatra National Park in the south of Poland. The samples were obtained as cores (10 cm in diameter) from the top 10-cm layer of the soil. Each sample was divided into three subsamples (a, b and c), where a was the subsample closest to the surface and c was the deepest one. Activity of the radionuclides was determined by means of gamma spectrometry, while analysis of heavy metals was performed (after microwave digestion) using atomic absorption spectrometry technique. The highest activity of cesium-137 was detected (5112 ± 120 Bq kg) in the 'a' layer of the core with the peak concentration of cesium-137 (14,452 ± 278 Bq m) in the whole soil core. The highest detected concentration of heavy metals was: Zn-52.8 ± 4.4 mg kg, Pb-260.1 ± 9.4 mg kg, Cr-52.8 ± 4.4 mg kg, respectively. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis were used to examine the obtained data. Application of statistical analysis tools allowed specifying the interdependencies between the examined variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the quantitative content of metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Mn, Sr, Ni, Ca, Fe, Br, Rb) in the leaves of the flora dominants of the main ecosystems of the Curonian Spit (foredune, palve area, large dune ridge). The heavy metal content in the upper layer of sandy soils, forest ecosystems (palve area) and large dune ridge was analysed. In the accumulative horizon of soils, the heavy metal content did not exceed the sanitary standards (MAC (maximum allowable concentration)/TAC (tentative allowable concentration)), and their concentration was significantly lower than the similar level in urbanised territories which allows for taking their contents into account as a baseline for the Kaliningrad region. From the ecological and physiological points of view, the content of heavy metals in the studied plants is not toxic, and is typical of the accumulation features in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of reclaimed water is one of the effective measures to save water resources. The study of reclaimed water irrigation and the analysis of how heavy metals migrate in the soil, especially their movement laws, have important theoretical and practical significance. It helps to predict the risk of heavy metals in foods, which protects our health and safety. In this paper, we studied the accumulation and distribution of heavy metal Cd in soils with reclaimed water drip irrigation in greenhouses during growing season, comparing the effects with groundwater drip irrigation. The results show that the Cd concentration in the surface soil is the highest on the second day after drip irrigation. It will be the highest on the fourth day in the depth of 100 cm, and then, it will decrease slightly. During the period of the sixth day to the eighth day, the Cd concentrations are similar in each depth, and it is the highest in the depth of 0–40 cm and 80–120 cm, but the Cd concentration decreases with the lower depth below 120 cm. By utilizing proper ways of reclaimed water drip irrigation, the Cd concentration in the deep soil will not violate the standard limits of GB15618-1995, which will not cause Cd pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of this paper is to examine the effect of spiked copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) metal salts on the dehydrogenase (oxydo-reductase) and phosphatase (hydrolase) enzyme activities in a characteristic Hungarian soil, the pseudomycelliar chernozem. Pot-experiment was performed with a soil, originating from a spot of the Hungarian soil-information-monitoring (TIM) system of Bicserd. The added metal salts were used in water soluble forms and incorporated uniformly to the soil. Soils were treated with increasing metal concentrations to give the following metal amounts: 0, 50, 200, and 800 kg.ha-1. Enzyme activities of the soil were analysed at the 0th, 7 th, 14 th, and 28th days after the metal addition. The laboratory modelexperiment has been set up in three replicates. Effects of metal salts were largely dependent on the chemical and physical properties of pseudomycelliar chernozem soil, the applied heavy metal-types, the doses of used metals and the elapsed time after the pollution. Considering the different metals, the copper prowed to be the most toxic one on the studied enzyme activities, whereas the lead induced those. By comparison with copper the nickel affected a smaller decrease in the soil microbial activity. The dehydrogenase, oxydo-reductase enzyme was found to be more sensitive parameter in comparison with the phosphatase, hydrolase enzyme among the studied condition. Studied enzymes and used methods are suggested, as fast and rather reliable tools for estimating the soilresilience capacities at heavy metal pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]