Strategies for Soil Protection and Remediation

doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-849873-6.00010-8

Soil Pollution

From Monitoring to Remediation

2018, Pages 251-281

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-849873-6.00010-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Soil is an essential, nonrenewable resource providing vital supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural ecosystem services. Contamination of soils by inorganic and organic pollutants can result in a decline in soil quality and its capability to support ecosystem functions. Remediation strategies can assist in halting or reversing the loss of soil quality, thus restoring its functionality, with attendant consequences to the bioavailability of contaminants. This chapter will focus on practical current soil remediation techniques including combinations (1) soil amendments (adding materials to soils to improve their quality) and (2) phytoremediation (remediation of soils using plants). Case study examples will be presented and discussed in relation to these remediation techniques, specifically focusing on environmental risk reduction. The main environmental policies and sustainable management systems for soil protection existing at national and international levels will also be briefly reviewed in order to emphasis the need for a common soil policy framework.

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Cited by (11)

Nano zerovalent Fe did not reduce metal(loid) leaching and ecotoxicity further than conventional Fe grit in contrasting smelter impacted soils: A 1-year field study
2024, Science of the Total Environment
The majority of the studies on nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) are conducted at a laboratory-scale, while field-scale evidence is scarce. The objective of this study was to compare the metal(loid) immobilization efficiency of selected Fe-based materials under field conditions for a period of one year. Two contrasting metal(loid) (As, Cd, Pb, Zn) enriched soils from a smelter-contaminated area were amended with sulfidized nZVI (S-nZVI) solely or combined with thermally stabilized sewage sludge and compared to amendment with microscale iron grit. In the soil with higher pH (7.5) and organic matter content (TOC = 12.7 %), the application of amendments resulted in a moderate increase in pH and reduced As, Cd, Pb, and Zn leaching after 1-year, with S-nZVI and sludge combined being the most efficient, followed by iron grit and S-nZVI alone. However, the amendments had adverse impacts on microbial biomass quantity, S-nZVI being the least damaging. In the soil with a lower pH (6.0) and organic matter content (TOC = 2.3 %), the results were mixed; 0.01 M CaCl₂ extraction data showed only S-nZVI with sludge as remaining effective in reducing extractable concentrations of metals; on the other hand, Cd and Zn concentrations were increased in the extracted soil pore water solutions, in contrast to the two conventional amendments. Despite that, S-nZVI with sludge enhanced the quantity of microbial biomass in this soil. Additional earthworm avoidance data indicated that they generally avoided soil treated with all Fe-based materials, but the presence of sludge impacted their preferences somewhat. In summary, no significant differences between S-nZVI and iron grit were observed for metal(loid) immobilization, though sludge significantly improved the performance of S-nZVI in terms of soil health indicators. Therefore, this study indicates that S-nZVI amendment of soils alone should be avoided, though further field evidence from a broader range of soils is now required.
Contrasting mobility of arsenic and copper in a mining soil: A comparative column leaching and pot testing approach
2022, Journal of Environmental Management
Citation Excerpt :
The application of organic amendments is an established method to significantly improve the physical-chemical and biological properties of soil whilst reducing metal(loid)s bioavailability and toxicity (Xu et al., 2021; Alam et al., 2020). This practice has been widely adopted in the remediation of mine soils (Fangueiro et al., 2018). In the present studied soil, the addition of vermicompost, or indeed some alternative amendment with a pool of labile nutrient and a liming effect, was clearly necessary to support vegetation growth.
The remediation of legacy metal(loid) contaminated soils in-situ relies on the addition of [organic] amendments to reduce the mobility and bioavailability of metal(loid)s, improve soil geochemical parameters and restore vegetation growth. Two vermicomposts of food and animal manure waste origin (V₁ and V₂) were amended to an arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) contaminated mine soil (≤1500 mg kg⁻¹). Leaching columns and pot experiments evaluated copper and arsenic in soil pore waters, as well as pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and phosphate (PO₄³⁻) concentrations. The uptake of As and Cu to ryegrass was also measured via the pot experiment, whilst recovered biochars from the column leaching test were measured for metal sorption at the termination of leaching. Vermicompost amendment to soil facilitated ryegrass growth which was entirely absent from the untreated soil in the pot test. All amendment combinations raised pore water pH by ∼4 units. Copper concentrations in pore waters from columns and pots showed steep reductions (∼1 mg L⁻¹), as a result of V₁ & V₂ compared to untreated soil (∼500 mg L⁻¹). Combined with an increase in DOC and PO₄³⁻, As was mobilised an order of magnitude by V₁. Biochar furthest reduced Cu in pore waters from the columns to <0.1 mg L⁻¹, as a result of surface sorption.
The results of this study indicate that biochar can restrict the mobility of Cu from a contaminated mine soil after other amendment interventions have been used to promote revegetation. However, the case of As, biochar cannot counter the profound impact of vermicompost on arsenic mobility.
Growing food in polluted soils: A review of risks and opportunities associated with combined phytoremediation and food production (CPFP)
2020, Chemosphere
Citation Excerpt :
Mineral adsorbents such as chalcedony and dolomite, for instance, are recommended to aid phytostabilisation of Zn-polluted soils, because of its high performance, universal applicability, and simplicity of use (Radziemska, 2018). The effect of liming or other ways to immobilise pollutants may be temporary however and the substances can be re-mobilised at a later stage if conditions such as pH changes (to more acidic) etc. (Garaiyurrebaso et al., 2016; Fangueiro et al., 2018; Fresno et al., 2020). Biochar, however, could serve as a long-term amendment for immobilisation inorganic pollutants even after its alkalinity effect has dissipated (Bopp et al., 2016).
Innumerable private households and small-scale producers currently operate on polluted soils. Phytoremediation is one of the most cost-effective remediation options but as a stand-alone technology, it is often not lucrative enough to make it appealing for farmers, especially in economically vulnerable regions. Economic incentives are crucial for remediation projects to materialise and synergies can be obtained by integrating phytoremediation with other profitable activities including food production. This review aims to synthesise state-of-the-art scientific data to provide a general understanding of opportunities and risks for sustainable remediation of agricultural soil by the use of combined phytoremediation and food production (CPFP). The results show that strategies based on CPFP may be appropriate options for most pollutants in virtually all climatic or socioeconomic contexts but a number of challenges need to be surpassed. The challenges include remediation-technological issues such as undeveloped post-harvest technology and inadequate soil governance. The need for remediation solutions for polluted fields is increasingly urgent since many farmers currently operate on polluted land and the scarcity of soil resources as the human population continuously increases will inevitably force more farmers to cultivate in contaminated areas. We conclude that, although large scale CPFP has not yet reached technological maturity, appropriate combinations of soil types, plant species/cultivars, and agronomic practices together with thorough monitoring of the pollutants’ pathways can potentially allow for safe food production on polluted soil that restricts the transfer of a number of pollutants to the food chain while the soil pool of pollutants is gradually reduced.
Field measurement of effects of individual and combined application of biochar and polyacrylamide on erosion variables in loess and marl soils
2020, Science of the Total Environment
Citation Excerpt :
Application of soil amendments is one of the soil conservation strategies that have been introduced in recent decades. Soil amendments are substances used to enhance soil productivity and to improve its structural quality and biochemical performance (Fangueiro et al., 2018; Maiti and Ahirwal, 2019). Many organic and inorganic amendments have been studied for various purposes over the past several years, especially with emphasis on reducing runoff and soil loss, or increasing permeability and improving the physical and chemical properties of soils of various kinds.
Controlling soil erosion, especially in its initial stages, is greatly important in natural resources management. Consequently, the present research aimed to control splash and interrill erosion in two soil types (marl at Marzan-Abad and loess at Maraveh-Tapeh sites in northern Iran) using biochar (BC) and polyacrylamide (PAM). We established 0.5 × 0.5-m plots and applied BC (800 g·m⁻²), PAM (2 g·m⁻²), and BC + PAM (800 g·m⁻² + 2 g·m⁻²) with control plots and three replications on a slope of ~25%. We used a rainfall simulator to achieve rainfall intensity of 50 mm·h⁻¹ with 30-min duration in the experiments. Analysis of the results obtained from the variables of splash and interrill erosion during the rainfall-runoff process showed that the PAM significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased all study variables of splash erosion. For interrill erosion, it reduced the variables of soil loss and sediment concentration. However, the difference was not significant (p > 0.05) compared to the control plot and runoff from the two treatment sites increased relative to that from the control plots. The plot treated with BC showed decreased runoff volume, runoff coefficient, and soil loss compared to the control plot at the Marzan-Abad site, but the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, the plot in which loess soil was treated with BC at the Maraveh-Tapeh site exhibited considerably (p ≤ 0.05) increased runoff and soil loss compared to the control plot. The entire results verified a wide range for benefit reduction of study treatments from +25.09 to −37.49% for runoff and from +38.59 to −231% for soil loss with more effectiveness for Maraveh-Tapeh Loess soil as well as combined application of BC and PAM. These findings contribute to improved understanding of proper application of soil amendments to control runoff and soil loss in loam and loess soils.
Soil temperature estimation at different depths, using remotely-sensed data
2020, Journal of Integrative Agriculture
Soil temperatures at different depths down the soil profile are important agro-meteorological indicators which are necessary for ecological modeling and precision agricultural activities. In this paper, using time series of soil temperature (ST) measured at different depths (0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 cm) at agro-meteorological stations in northern China as reference data, ST was estimated from land surface temperature (LST) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from AQUA/TERRA MODIS data, and solar declination (Ds) in univariate and multivariate linear regression models. Results showed that when daytime LST is used as predictor, the coefficient of determination (R²) values decrease from the 0 cm layer to the 40 cm layer. Additionally, with the use of nighttime LST as predictor, the R² values were relatively higher at 5, 10 and 15 cm depths than those at 0, 20 and 40 cm depths. It is further observed that the multiple linear regression models for soil temperature estimation outperform the univariate linear regression models based on the root mean squared errors (RMSEs) and R². These results have demonstrated the potential of MODIS data in tandem with the Ds parameter for soil temperature estimation at the upper layers of the soil profile where plant roots grow in. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt at the synergistic use of LST, NDVI and Ds for soil temperature estimation at different depths of the upper layers of the soil profile, representing a significant contribution to soil remote sensing.
Effects of sepiolite nanoparticles on the kinetics of Pb and Cu removal from aqueous solutions and their immobilization in columns with different soil textures
2019, Geoderma
Citation Excerpt :
Soil contamination via inorganic and organic pollutants can result in a decline in soil quality and its capability to support ecosystem functions (Fangueiro et al., 2018).
Available information about the application of clay minerals (e.g. sepiolite) at nanoscale levels for stabilization of potentially toxic trace elements in soils and wastewaters is very limited. Therefore, this study was carried out to: (i) determine how removal of Pb and Cu from aqueous solutions (containing 150 mg/kg Pb and Cu) differs between microparticles (<10 μm) and nanoparticles (<100 nm) of sepiolite, and (ii) find out the kinetic parameters of Pb and Cu adsorption onto micro- and nano-sized particles of sepiolite. Batch experiments at eleven contact times (5, 10, 20, 30, 60, 120, 240, 480, 720, 1440 and 2880 min) with three replications were conducted and the data were evaluated using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, and intraparticle diffusion models. The results indicated that the sorption of Pb and Cu onto both microparticles and nanoparticles of sepiolite follows an increasing trend with contact time, and it is a three-stage process that is well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Intraparticle diffusion modeling showed that intraparticle diffusion was not the only mechanism that influenced the rate of Pb and Cu uptake by the nano- and microparticles of sepiolite. The maximum adsorptions of Pb and Cu by sepiolite nanoparticles were 34.70 and 24.50 mg g⁻¹, respectively, higher than those of the microparticles (27.17 and 17.10 mg g⁻¹). To identify how the addition of sepiolite nanoparticles (10 and 20 g/kg soil) would function as a soil amendment relative to Pb and Cu pollution, the leaching potential of Pb and Cu was also tested, using distilled water and 1 M NH₄NO₃ solutions from the two soils with clay loam and sandy loam textures. The results implied that the addition of sepiolite nanoparticles to both the sandy loam and clay loam soils increased their ability to retain Pb and Cu elements in comparison with the control. In both the clay loam and sandy loam soils, the amounts of Pb and Cu leached using the 1 M NH₄NO₃ solution were significantly higher than those with distilled water. The amounts of metals eluted using 1 M NH₄NO₃ solution from the sandy loam and clay loam soils treated with 20 g kg⁻¹ nanoparticles of sepiolite were 7.15% and 5.33% for Cu, and 6.44% and 4.55% for Pb, respectively. The results also illustrated that using water and NH₄NO₃ solutions, the metal extraction yield was greater in the sandy loam soil than in the clay loam soil. The highest amounts of Pb (9.76%) and Cu (9.88%) leached from the soils were observed in the sandy loam soil, using 1 M NH₄NO₃ solution, but without any addition of sepiolite nanoparticles. In contrast, the clay loam soil leached with water and amended with 20 gkg⁻¹ sepiolite nanoparticles showed the least amount of Pb (3.49%) and Cu (3.93%) in the leachates. In conclusion, sepiolite nanoparticles improved the efficiency of Pb and Cu removal from aqueous solutions and their immobilization in soils with sandy loam and clay loam textures. The findings also emphasize the importance of extracting agents in evaluating the amounts of Pb and Cu leached from the soils.

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Chapter 10 - Strategies for Soil Protection and Remediation

Abstract