1
|
Jiang S, Deng X, Ma L, Wang H, Wang X, Feng L, Zhu F, Xue S, Mohammad A. Standardized framework for assessing soil quality at antimony smelting site by considering microbial-induced resilience and heavy metal contamination. J Environ Sci (China) 2025; 148:306-320. [PMID: 39095167 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2023.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Antimony smelting activities damage the soil and vegetation surroundings while generating economic value. However, no standardized methods are available to diagnose the extent of soil degradation at antimony smelting sites. This study developed a standardized framework for assessing soil quality by considering microbial-induced resilience and heavy metal contamination at Xikuangshan antimony smelting site. The soil resilience index (SRI) and soil contamination index (SCI) were calculated by Minimum Data Set and geo-accumulation model, respectively. After standardized by a multi-criteria quantitative procedure of modified Nemerow's pollution index (NPI), the integrated assessment of soil quality index (SQI), which is the minimum of SRINPI and SCINPI, was achieved. The results showed that Sb and As were the prominent metal(loid) pollutants, and significant correlations between SQI and SRI indicated that the poor soil quality was mainly caused by the low level of soil resilience. The primary limiting factors of SRI were Fungi in high and middle contaminated areas, and Skermanella in low contaminated area, suggesting that the weak soil resilience was caused by low specific microbial abundances. Microbial regulation and phytoremediation are greatly required to improve the soil quality at antimony smelting sites from the perspectives of pollution control and resilience improvement. This study improves our understanding of ecological effects of antimony smelting sites and provides a theoretical basis for ecological restoration and sustainable development of mining areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Jiang
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaoyu Deng
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Liyuan Ma
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China; School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF243AA, United Kingdom.
| | - Hongmei Wang
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xingjie Wang
- School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF243AA, United Kingdom; Institute of Geological Survey, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Liang Feng
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Shengguo Xue
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
| | - Arif Mohammad
- School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF243AA, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wen X, Zhou J, Zheng S, Yang Z, Lu Z, Jiang X, Zhao L, Yan B, Yang X, Chen T. Geochemical properties, heavy metals and soil microbial community during revegetation process in a production Pb-Zn tailings. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 463:132809. [PMID: 37898087 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) tailings pose a significant environmental threat from heavy metals (HMs) contamination. Revegetation is considered as a green path for HM remediation. However, the interplay between HM transport processes and soil microbial community in Pb-Zn tailings (especially those in production) remain unclear. This study investigated the spatial distribution of HMs as well as the crucial roles of the soil microbial community (i.e., structure, richness, and diversity) during a three-year revegetation of production Pb-Zn tailings in northern Guangdong province, China. Prolonged tailings stockpiling exacerbated Pb contamination, elevating concentrations (from 10.11 to 11.53 g/kg) in long-term weathering. However, revegetation effectively alleviated Pb, reducing its concentrations of 9.81 g/kg. Through 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the dominant genera shifted from Weissella (44%) to Thiobacillus (17%) and then to Pseudomonas (comprising 44% of the sequences) during the revegetation process. The structural equation model suggested that Pseudomonas, with its potential to transform bioavailable Pb into a more stable form, emerged as a potential Pb remediator. This study provides essential evidence of HMs contamination and microbial community dynamics during Pb-Zn tailings revegetation, contributing to the development of sustainable microbial technologies for tailings management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaocui Wen
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jiawei Zhou
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Siyan Zheng
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zhangwei Yang
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Zheng Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xueqin Jiang
- College of Semiconductor Science and Technology, South China Normal University, Foshan 528225, China
| | - Lingzhi Zhao
- College of Semiconductor Science and Technology, South China Normal University, Foshan 528225, China
| | - Bo Yan
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xiaofan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Tao Chen
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, University Town, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li Q, Yuan C, Wu Q, Peng Y, Zhao Z, Wang Y, An N, Ni X, Wu F, Yue K. Effects of vegetation restoration on the concentrations of multiple metal elements in post-mining soils. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 347:119148. [PMID: 37776790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Vegetation restoration is vital for soil ecological restoration in post-mining areas, but a global-scale quantitative assessment of its effects on soil metal elements is lacking. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis with 2308 paired observations collected from 137 publications to evaluate vegetation restoration effects on the concentrations of 17 metal elements, namely K, AK (available K), Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Al, Cr, Co, Ni, Cd, Sb, Hg, and Pb in post-mining soils. We found that (1) vegetation restoration significantly increased the concentrations of K, AK, Ca, Mg and Co by 43.2, 42.5, 53.4, 53.7, and 137.2%, respectively, but did not affect the concentrations of Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Al, Cr, Ni, Cd, Sb, Hg, and Pb; (2) the effects of vegetation restoration on soil metal concentration were seldom impacted by vegetation type, while soil depth only affected the responses of AK, Cd, and Pb concentrations to vegetation restoration, and leaf type only impacted the responses of Ca and Ni concentrations to vegetation restoration; (3) latitude, elevation, restoration year, climate, and initial soil properties were also important moderator variables of vegetation restoration effects, but their impacts varied among different metals. Overall, our results clearly showed that vegetation restoration in posting-mining areas generally have a positive effect on the concentrations of nutrient elements but did not influence that of toxic elements, which provides useful information for the restoration and reconstruction of soil ecosystem in post-mining areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiqi Li
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Chaoxiang Yuan
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Qiqian Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, China
| | - Yan Peng
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China; Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Sanming, 365002, China
| | - Zemin Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Yiqing Wang
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Nannan An
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China; Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Sanming, 365002, China
| | - Xiangyin Ni
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China; Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Sanming, 365002, China
| | - Fuzhong Wu
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China; Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Sanming, 365002, China
| | - Kai Yue
- Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China; State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an, 311300, China; Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Sanming, 365002, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu YQ, Yang YP, Zhang LX, Wang LY, Jing CY, Duan GL, Zhu YG. Aluminum adsorption and antimonite oxidation dominantly regulate antimony solubility in soils. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 309:136651. [PMID: 36181839 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Soil antimony (Sb) contamination occurs globally due to natural processes and human activities. Total Sb concentration in soils fails to assess its ecological risk, while determined by the concentration of available Sb, which is readily for biological uptake. Available Sb in different soils varied significantly according to soil properties. However, so far it is unknown how soil properties regulate Sb availability, and no model has been established to predict it through soil properties. In this study, 19 soils spiked with antimonite [Sb(III)] were used to identify the major factors controlling Sb availability and establish its predicting models. The results showed that available Sb in different soils varied largely depending on the contents of free aluminum (fAl), free iron (fFe) and electric conductivity (EC), which explained 33%, 27% and 24.9% of the total variation, respectively. During the first 42 days of soil aging, fAl and EC effectively predicted the concentrations of available Sb with R2 = 0.64, while during the later stages (70-150 d) of soil aging, fAl content was the unique parameter employed into the predicting model (R2 = 0.53). These results firstly demonstrate that the content of free aluminum (fAl) is the most important factor regulating Sb availability in soils, although the content of fAl is much lower than that of fFe. This finding can help to develop new remediation materials for Sb-contaminated soils. The prediction models can provide promising tools of assessing the ecological risk. In addition, Sb availability was also affected by the oxidation of Sb(III). After 150 days aging, 1-61% of Sb(III) was oxidized to pentavalent Sb [Sb(V)], which was significantly positively correlated with available Sb, suggesting that Sb(III) oxidization mobilizes Sb in soils. All these findings would help to understand Sb migration and transformation in soils, and to develop new strategies for remediating Sb-contaminated soils.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Qing Liu
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yu-Ping Yang
- Key Laboratory for Northern Urban Agriculture of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Li-Xin Zhang
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Li-Ying Wang
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chuan-Yong Jing
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Gui-Lan Duan
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Yong-Guan Zhu
- State Key Lab of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Duan R, Lin Y, Zhang J, Huang M, Du Y, Yang L, Bai J, Xiang G, Wang Z, Zhang Y. Changes in diversity and composition of rhizosphere bacterial community during natural restoration stages in antimony mine. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12302. [PMID: 34721985 PMCID: PMC8520691 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Open pit antimony (Sb) mining causes serious soil pollution, and phytoremediation is a low-cost approach to remediate heavy metal contaminated soil. Rhizosphere bacteria play an important role in ecological restoration in mining areas. There is a knowledge gap on how to find suitable rhizosphere microorganisms to improve the phytoremediation effect. Understanding the differences of rhizosphere bacterial diversity in different restoration stages is helpful to find suitable bacteria for ecological restoration. Methods A method of the substitution of "space" for "time" was used to study the effect of natural restoration on rhizosphere bacterial community. According to the dominant vegetation types (herb, shrub, and tree) in the natural restoration area of Sb mining, the early restoration (ER), middle restoration (MR), and later restoration (LR) from the largest Sb mine (Xikuangshan mine) in the world were selected to evaluate the differences in the composition and diversity of rhizosphere bacteria during three natural restoration stages. Each restoration stage had five samples. To determine the relationship between restoration stages and bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere, high throughput sequencing of PCR amplified were used. Results Alpha diversity, as assessed by Chao indices, appeared lowest in ER but this trend was not seen with other diversity metrics, including the Simpson and Shannon. Beta diversity analysis suggested there were differences in rhizobacterial community structure associate with restoration stage. At the phylum level, natural restoration led to a significant increase in the relative abundance of Actinobacteria in the MR, and a significant decrease in the relative abundance of Patescibacteria in the LR. Additionally, Calditrichaeota, Deferribacteres and Epsilonbacteraeota were only found in ER. At the genus level, the relative abundance of RB41 and Haliangium were highest in LR plots, while that of Bacillus and Gaiella were highest in ER plots. Additionally, the Azorhizobium genus was only detected in the ER phase. Overall, our findings suggested that several rhizosphere microbial communities had significant differences among three natural restoration stages (ER, MR, and LR) and the rhizosphere bacterial communities mainly appeared in the early restoration stage can be preferred for remediation of pollution soil in Xikuangshan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renyan Duan
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| | - Yuxiang Lin
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| | - Jianing Zhang
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| | - Minyi Huang
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| | - Yihuan Du
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| | - Li Yang
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| | - Jing Bai
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| | - Guohong Xiang
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| | | | - Yaqi Zhang
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Budzyńska S, Kubiak A, Szostek M, Budka A, Gąsecka M, Niedzielski P, Zheng L, Mleczek M. Trees and shrubs from a post-industrial area high in calcium and trace elements: the potential of dendroremediation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOREMEDIATION 2021; 24:493-506. [PMID: 34310221 DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2021.1954877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
That is probably the first study to date of trees and shrubs differing in age and growing on post-industrial soil contaminated with calcium (Ca) and selected toxic metals/metalloids. The obtained results show that an alkaline reaction (less than 9) of soil and an unusually high Ca concentration may help the studied tree species to adapt/survive in unfavorable habitat conditions (high concentration of toxic elements). The efficiency of phytoextraction of toxic elements was so high that, especially for forest animals (roe-deer) that consume, e.g., willow shoots, it could pose a serious threat to health and life, both for them and potentially for humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia Budzyńska
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Agata Kubiak
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Szostek
- Department of Soil Science, Environmental Chemistry and Hydrology, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Anna Budka
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Methods, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Monika Gąsecka
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | | | - Linlin Zheng
- College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Mirosław Mleczek
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| |
Collapse
|