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Amelioration of iron mine soils with biosolids: Effects on plant tissue metal content and earthworms

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Abstract

The achievement of environmentally sound and economically feasible disposal strategies for biosolids is a major issue in the wastewater treatment industry around the world, including Swaziland. Currently, an iron ore mine site, which is located within a wildlife sanctuary, is being considered as a suitable place where controlled disposal of biosolids may be practiced. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of urban biosolids on iron mine soils with regard to plant metal content and ecotoxicological effects on earthworms. This was done through chemical analysis of plants grown in biosolid-amended mine soil. Earthworm behaviour, reproduction and bioaccumulation tests were also conducted on biosolid-amended mine soil. According to the results obtained, the use of biosolids led to creation of soil conditions that were generally favourable to earthworms. However, plants were found to have accumulated Zn up to 346 mg kg−1 (in shoots) and 462 mg kg−1 (in roots). This was more than double the normal Zn content of plants. It was concluded that while biosolids can be beneficial to mine soils and earthworms, they can also lead to elevated metal content in plant tissues, which might be a concern to plant-dependant wildlife species. Nonetheless, it was not possible to satisfactorily estimate risks to forage quality since animal feeding tests with hyperaccumulator plants have not been reported. Quite possibly, there may be no cause for alarm since the uptake of metals from soil is greater in plants grown in pots in the greenhouse than from the same soil in the field since pot studies fail to mimic field conditions where the soil is heterogeneous and where the root system possesses a complex topology. It was thought that further field trials might assist in arriving at more satisfactory conclusions.

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Acknowledgments

This publication is part of Ph.D. studies conducted at North-West University (NWU) in South Africa. Authors are grateful to the Swaziland Water Services and the Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management at NWU for financial assistance during the course of this work.

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  1. Faculty of Natural Sciences, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), Private Bag ×6001, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa

    Emmanuel Nkosinathi Cele & Mark Maboeta

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  1. Emmanuel Nkosinathi Cele
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Correspondence to Emmanuel Nkosinathi Cele.

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Cele, E.N., Maboeta, M. Amelioration of iron mine soils with biosolids: Effects on plant tissue metal content and earthworms. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 23005–23016 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7504-5

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