Nickel in the Environment: Bioremediation Techniques for Soils with Low or Moderate Contamination in European Union

Abstract

The review deals with the environmental problem caused by low or moderate nickel concentrations in soils. The main effects of this potentially toxic element on the soil biota and the most common crop species are addressed. Moreover, the paper emphasises biological remediation methods against nickel pollution in European soils. The focus is on the well-accepted phytoremediation strategy alone or in combination with other more or less innovative bioremediation approaches such as microbial bioremediation, vermiremediation and the use of amendments and sequestrants. Results acquired in real field and laboratory experiments to fight against nickel contamination are summarised and compared. The main objective was to evidence the ability of the above natural techniques to reduce the nickel concentration in contaminated sites at a not-risky level. In conclusion, the examined works agree that the efficiency of phytoremediation could be implemented with co-remediation approaches, but further studies with clear and comparable indices are strongly recommended to meet the challenges for future application at a large scale.

Innovative Low-Cost Composite Nanoadsorbents Based on Eggshell Waste for Nickel Removal from Aqueous Media

“…In addition, the materials obtained in this work show environmental performance and ensure nickel recycling in different economically valuable forms. To that end, (a) consecutively separated solutions containing nickel from the desorption process could be collected and used in nickel-plating baths, (b) the saturated EZ and FEZ adsorbents could be used as raw materials in cement or ceramic material production [ 75 , 76 ], and (c) the nickel-containing materials (EZ and FEZ after adsorption) could be used as fertilizers, considering the components of the newly prepared adsorbents together with the recognized role of nickel in nitrogen metabolism in plants [ 77 , 78 ]. Congruent with such applications is the fact that both materials show high cycling stability.…”

Innovative low-cost engineered adsorbents based on waste eggshell for nickel removal from aqueous solutions

“…In addition, the materials obtained in this work show environmental performance and ensure nickel recycling in different economically valuable forms. To that end, a) consecutively separated solutions containing nickel from the desorption process could be collected and used in nickel-plating baths, b) the saturated EZ and FEZ adsorbents could be used as raw materials in cement or ceramic materials production (Lysenko 2022;Sinyoung 2015), and c) the nickel-containing materials (EZ and FEZ after adsorption) could be used as fertilizers, considering the components of the newly prepared adsorbents together with the recognized role of nickel in nitrogen metabolism in plants (Patra 2020;Vischetti 2022). Congruent with such applications is the fact that both adsorbents show high cycling stability.…”

A study on the evaluation of heavy metals accumulation in electrokinetically treated sewage sludge by Spinacia oleracea

“…Ni enhanced from 42.195 to 83.77 ppm for the soil, 44.78 to 89.33 ppm, and 51.68 to 110.76 ppm from 10, 25 and 50%, respectively. Microbes and soil invertebrates may be adversely affected by exposure to high Ni concentrations in soils(Vischetti et al, 2022). Pb has no role in biological function; instead, it has a higher toxic impact, which interrupts the enzymatic activities, seed germination, and growth of plants, but in this experiment(Zulfiqar et al,2019), Spinach absorbed Pb efficiently without harming its biomass for both untreated and treated setups.…”