Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) is a plant that grows abundantly in the desert environment. This desert plant has been found naturally growing in heavy-metal contaminated soils. Previous experiments showed that the inactivated biomass of creosote bush was able to adsorb Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The copper-binding capacity of the bush biomass that grows in heavy-metal uncontaminated...

Using chemical extraction to evaluate plant arsenic availability in contaminated soils is important to estimate the time frame for site cleanup during phytoremediation. It is also of great value to assess As mobility in soil and its risk in environmental contamination. In this study, four conventional chemical extraction methods (water, ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, and Mehlich III) and...

Soil properties are important factors modifying metal bioavailability to ecological receptors. Twenty-one soils with a wide range of soil properties (USA; http://soils.usda.gov/technical/classification/taxonomy/) were amended with a single concentration of Pb (2,000 mg/kg) to determine the effects of soil properties on Pb bioavailability and toxicity to earthworms. Earthworm mortality ranged fr...

17 To assess the risks that contaminated soils pose to the environment properly a greater 18 understanding of how soil biota influence the mobility of metal(loid)s in soils is 19 required. Lumbricus terrestris L. were incubated in three soils contaminated with As, 20 Cu, Pb and Zn. The concentration and speciation of metal(loid)s in pore waters and the 21 mobility and partitioning in casts were...

Long-term and excessive application of chlorimuron-ethyl has led to a series of environmental problems. Strain Hansschlegelia sp. CHL1, a highly efficient chlorimuron-ethyl degrading bacterium isolated in our previous study, was employed in the current soil bioremediation study. The residues of chlorimuron-ethyl in soils were detected, and the changes of soil microbial communities were investig...

Selena Montinaro, Alessandro Concas, Massimo Pisu, Sarah Fadda, Alberto Cincotti and Giacomo Cao Centro Interdipartimentale di Ingegneria e Scienze Ambientali (CINSA) and Cagliari Laboratory of Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale “La Chimica per l’Ambiente” (INCA), Via San Giorgio 12, 09123 Cagliari, Italy. CRS4, Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Developement in Sardinia Parco Scient...

oil at more than 30 munitions sites across the United States is contaminated with explosives. The U.S. military has discovered that the composting process, and the use of finished (mature, cured) compost can effectively remediate munitions-contaminated soils. To incorporate such soil into the composting process, the soil is excavated and mixed with other feedstocks. The end-product is a contami...

Spatial heterogeneity in abiotic and biotic factors is an important habitat feature of ecosystems as it facilitates potential refuges for less favourable conditions. Heterogeneously contaminated soils can affect specific groups of organisms and their functioning, both directly by toxic effects and by avoidance of contaminated micro-sites. We tested the hypothesis that horizontally heterogeneous...

Metal contaminants in soil environments derived from industrial pollution have clearly established the need for research on bioavailability and potential health risks. Much research has been conducted on metal sorption in soils. However, there is still a need to better understand the availability of metal contaminants to plants and microbes. Such information will enhance both human health and d...

The use of metal-accumulating plants to clean the contaminated soil with toxic metals is the most rapidly developing component of phytoremediation as an environmentally friendly technology. Overcoming harsh soil conditions and accelerating the recovery of degraded soils remain a worldwide restoration challenge. This study evaluated the effect of different concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu and Fe on ...