A comparison of technologies for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils

Abstract

, et al.. A comparison of technologies for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Elsevier, 2016Elsevier, , 182, pp.247 -268. 10.1016Elsevier, /j.gexplo.2016 Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to the repository administrator: staff-oatao@listes-diff.inp-toulouse.fr a b s t r a c tSoil contamination with persistent and potentially (eco)toxic heavy metal(loid)s is ubiquitous around the globe. Concentration of these heavy metal(loid)s in soil has increased drastically over the last three decades, thus posing risk to the environment and human health. Some technologies have long been in use to remediate the hazardous heavy metal(loid)s. Conventional remediation methods for heavy metal(loid)s are generally based on physical, chemical and biological approaches, which may be used in combination with one another to clean-up heavy metal(loid) contaminated soils to an acceptable and safe level. This review summarizes the soil contamination by heavy metal(loid)s at a global scale, accumulation of heavy metal(loid)s in vegetables to toxic levels and their regulatory guidelines in soil. In this review, we also elucidate and compare the pool of available technologies that are currently being applied for remediation of heavy metal(loid) contaminated soils, as well as the economic aspect of soil remediation for different techniques. This review article includes an assessment of the contemporary status of technology deployment and recommendations for future remediation research. Finally, the molecular and genetic basis of heavy metal(loid) (hyper)accumulation and tolerance in microbes and plants is also discussed. It is proposed that for effective and economic remediation of soil, a better understanding of remediation procedures and the various options available at the different stages of remediation is highly necessary.

Establishment of an Aseptic Culture System and Analysis of the Effective Growth Conditions for Eleocharis acicularis Ramets for Use in Phytoremediation

“…Although various physical and chemical methods have been developed for the removal of heavy metals and metalloids from contaminated substrates, almost all of these methods are expensive and require large investments [2]. By contrast, phytoremediation, a technology that involves the use of…”

Bioavailability of mercury in contaminated soils assessed by the diffusive gradient in thin film technique in relation to uptake by Miscanthus × giganteus

“…Low Hg concentrations were observed in the leaves and stems and especially in the rhizomes compared with the concentrations in the roots, which indicates that limited transportation of Hg occurs from the root system to other plant tissues (Cattani et al ). Numerous studies have shown that plants are able to assimilate Hg from topsoil into roots through a transpiration stream (Fernandez‐Martinez et al ; Khalid et al ). Because of the low solubility and strong binding between Hg and soil particles, Hg availability for plants is generally very low (Baya and Van Heyst ).…”

The effect of heavy metal contamination on human and animal health in the vicinity of a zinc smelter

“…In this study, the copper and zinc concentrations in soil, herbage, and food were markedly higher in samples from the affected area than those from the control area ( P < 0.01 ). In general, the maximum tolerable concentrations in sheep were 25 and 300 mg/kg, for copper and zinc, respectively [13, 39–40]. Thus, it appears that the heavy metal poisoning of the sheep in the pasture was not related to copper and zinc.…”