Dataset Information

Effects of Natural Sorbents on the Germination and Early Growth of Grasses on Soils Contaminated by Potentially Toxic Elements.

ABSTRACT: The reclamation of abandoned mining heaps rich in potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is critical for the environment. We carried out a laboratory experiment studying the effects of the addition of four natural sorbents (biochar, bentonite, chicken manure and organo-zeolitic substrate) to soils contaminated with PTEs, predominantly Cu, As and Sb, on the germination and growth of the autochthonous grasses Agrostis capillaris, A. stolonifera, Festuca rubra and Poa pratensis. The experiment used Petri dish tests with water extracts of contaminated soil and soil neutralised with the four sorbents. Standard indexes of the germination process were used (germination percentage, time required for 50% germination index, speed of emergence), and different values were found depending on the plant species and sorbent used. However, the percentage of seeds germinating was lower for each sorbent compared to the control (distilled water). The fresh mass values were positively stimulated by all sorbents. Electrolyte leakage was the highest in seedlings watered with an extract of untreated soil from the heap compared to extracts from treated soils and the control. This can be interpreted as eliminating the harmful effects of increased potentially toxic element (PTE) contents by sorbents, which can be useful in remediation processes.

SUBMITTER: Turisova I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7698367 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of Natural Sorbents on the Germination and Early Growth of Grasses on Soils Contaminated by Potentially Toxic Elements.

Turisová Ingrid I Kviatková Tatiana T Możdżeń Katarzyna K Barabasz-Krasny Beata B

Plants (Basel, Switzerland) 20201117 11

The reclamation of abandoned mining heaps rich in potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is critical for the environment. We carried out a laboratory experiment studying the effects of the addition of four natural sorbents (biochar, bentonite, chicken manure and organo-zeolitic substrate) to soils contaminated with PTEs, predominantly Cu, As and Sb, on the germination and growth of the autochthonous grasses <i>Agrostis capillaris, A. stolonifera, Festuca rubra</i> and <i>Poa pratensis</i>. The experi ...[more]

PMID: 33212931

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Project description:Surroundings of the Legnica Cu smelter (Poland) offer insight into the behavior of Pb and other metal(oid)s in heavily contaminated soils in a relatively simple site, where lithogenic and anthropogenic Pb contributions have uniform Pb isotope composition over the time of smelter activity. Distribution of metal(oid)s decreases asymptotically with depth and below 30 cm reaches concentrations typical or lower than those of upper continental crust. Usually, such distribution is interpreted as the decrease in anthropogenic Pb contribution with depth. However, calculations based on Pb isotopes indicate that anthropogenic Pb is probably distributed both as Pb-rich particles of slags and fly ashes and Pb-poor soil solutions. Generally, anthropogenic Pb constitutes up to 100 % of Pb in the uppermost 10 cm of the soils and comes often from mechanical mixing with slag and fly ash particles as well as their weathering products. On the other hand, lower soil horizon contains anthropogenic Pb in various forms, and at depths below 30 cm, most of anthropogenic Pb comes from soil solutions and can constitute from 1 to 65 % of the Pb budget. This is consistent with secondary electron microscope (SEM) analyses of heavy mineral particles showing that, in upper horizons, Pb, Cu, and Zn are contained in various particles emitted from the smelter, which show different stages of weathering. Currently, large portion of these metals may reside in the secondary Fe-hydro-oxides. On the other hand, in deeper soil horizons, anthropogenic Pb is probably dominated by Pb coming from leaching of slag or fly ash particles. Overall, metal(oid) mobility is a dynamic process and is controlled by the soil type (cultivated versus forest) and the composition and the structure of the metal-rich particles emitted from the smelter. High proportions of anthropogenic Pb at depths below 30 cm in some soil profiles indicate that Pb (and probably other metal(oid)s) can be transported down the soil profile and the present concentration of anthropogenic Pb depends on the availability of binding sites.

Project description:Metal fabrication workshops (MFWs) are common businesses in Ugandan cities, and especially those producing metallic security gates, window and door frames (burglar-proof), and balcony and staircase rails. The objective of this study was to comparatively assess the pollution levels and potential health risks of manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pd) and nickel (Ni) in pooled surface soil samples from four 5-, 7-, 8-, and 10-year-old MFWs (n = 28) and a control site (n = 8) in Mbarara City, Uganda. The concentration of the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) was determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Contamination, ecological, and human health risk assessment indices and models were used to identify any risks that the PTEs could pose to the pristine environment and humans. Our results showed that PTE pollution of soils is occuring in the MFWs than at the control site. The mean concentrations of the PTEs (mg kg-1) in the samples were: Mn (2012.75 ± 0.23-3377.14 ± 0.31), Cr (237.55 ± 0.29-424.93 ± 0.31), Cd (0.73 ± 0.13-1.29 ± 0.02), Pb (107.80 ± 0.23-262.01 ± 0.19), and Ni (74.85 ± 0.25-211.37 ± 0.14). These results indicate that the PTEs could plausibly derive from the fabrication activities in these workshops, which is supported by the high values of contamination factors, index of geoaccumulation, and the overall increase in pollution load indices with the number of years of operation of the MFWs. Human health risk assessment showed that there are non-carcinogenic health risks that could be experienced by children who ingest PTEs in the soils from the 7-, 8- and 10-year-old MFWs. The incremental life cancer risk assessment suggested that there are potential cancerous health effects of Cd and Ni that could be experienced in children (who ingest soils from all the four MFWs) and adults (ingesting soils from the 8- and 10-year-old MFWs). This study underscores the need to implement regulatory guidelines on the operation and location of MFWs in Uganda. Further research should be undertaken to investigate the emission of the PTEs during welding operations in the MFWs.

Dataset Information

Effects of Natural Sorbents on the Germination and Early Growth of Grasses on Soils Contaminated by Potentially Toxic Elements.

Publications

Effects of Natural Sorbents on the Germination and Early Growth of Grasses on Soils Contaminated by Potentially Toxic Elements.

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