Use of zeolite to neutralise nickel in a soil environment

Abstract

Nickel is a heavy metal which is a stable soil pollutant which is difficult to remediate. An attempt to reduce its impact on the environment can be made by changing its solubility. The right level of hydrogen ions and the content of mineral and organic colloids are crucial in this regard. Therefore, methods to neutralise heavy metals in soil are sought. There are no reports in the literature on the possibility of using minerals in the detoxication of a soil environment contaminated with metals. It is important to fill the gap in research on the effect of zeolites on the microbiological, biochemical and physicochemical properties of soils under pressure from heavy metals. Therefore, a pot experiment was conducted on two soils which examined the effect of various levels of contamination of soil with nickel on the activity of soil enzymes, physical and chemical properties and growth and development of plants. An alleviating effect of zeolite Bio.Zeo.S.01 on the negative impact of nickel on the soil and a plant (oats) was examined. The enzyme activity and the oat yield were found to be significantly and negatively affected by an excess of nickel in the soil, regardless of the soil type. The metal was accumulated more in the oat roots than in the above-ground parts. An addition of zeolite decreased the level of accumulation of nickel in oats grown only on sandy-silty loam. Zeolite Bio.Zeo.S.01 used in the study only slightly alleviated the negative effect of nickel on the biochemical properties of soil. Therefore, its usability in the remediation of soil contaminated with nickel is small.

Application of white mustard and oats in the phytostabilisation of soil contaminated with cadmium with the addition of cellulose and urea

“…Activity of the following soil enzymes was determined in soil samples after harvesting white mustard (day 40) and oats (day 80): The detailed procedures by which the activity of these enzymes is determined are described by Boros-Lajszner et al (2018).…”

“…& pH of the soil, total organic carbon, hydrolytic acidity, total exchangeable base cations, total cation exchange capacity of soil and soil saturation with base cations. The detailed procedures by which these determinations were made are described by Boros-Lajszner et al (2018). & Cadmium content in above-ground parts and roots was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) after microwave mineralisation as per the standard PN-EN 14084:2004 (N).…”

Zeolite for Potential Toxic Metal Uptake from Contaminated Soil: A Brief Review

“…Some literature data are not in accordance with the successful use of zeolite for the heavy-metal remediation of all types of polluted soil. Boros-Lajszner et al [105] reported that the addition of zeolites (clinoptilolite) determines the reduction of Ni accumulation in oats (11.69%) only grown in sandy silty loam, thus concluding that the efficiency of this mineral in nickel soil remediation is small. According to previous literature data [106], the authors attributed these results to the selectivity of clinoptilolite in absorbing heavy-metal ions (Pb > Cd > Cs > Cu(II) > Co(II) > Cr(III) > Zn >Ni(II) > Hg(II)).…”

Evaluation of Heavy Metals and Microbiological Contamination of Selected herbals from Palestine

“…The concerned authorities have to take an active role to approve and license for an imported herbal medicine before it reaches the final customer. Contamination of herbs by toxic metals can be attributed to many causes including: environmental pollution, soil composition and using fertilizers [24,25]. Some of the metals such as Cu, Cd and Zn had a higher concentration than the allowable level, this can be attributed to the use of fertilizers & pesticides which contain these elements in their compositions [26,27].…”