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Remediation of heavy metal–polluted alkaline vegetable soil using mercapto-grafted palygorskite: effects of field-scale application and soil environmental quality

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Abstract

Remediation materials are the most critical factors for in situ immobilization of soil contaminated by heavy metals. In this study, in order to improve the performance of palygorskite (Pal), a new remediation material, mercapto-grafted palygorskite (MPal) was synthesized by grafting mercapto groups onto the surface of Pal. The results of field application in northern China showed that at a dosage of 0.12–0.23 kg m−2, MPal significantly reduced the available concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Cr in the soil by 52.2%, 29.9%, and 46.2%, respectively. Concurrently, Cd, Pb, and Cr concentrations in the shoots of head lettuce also decreased significantly, with the highest reduction being 44.0%, 61.5%, and 50.0%, respectively. At the same dosage, MPal had a better immobilization effect than Pal. There was no significant change in the pH of the vegetable soil, while the zeta potential decreased significantly, indicating that the MPal did not immobilize the heavy metals by increasing the pH, making it suitable for alkaline farmland soil. In addition, soil environmental quality was improved overall. MPal increased the activities of urease, β-glucosidase, cellulase, and catalase by 15.4%, 56.5%, 7.8%, and 14.9%, respectively. It increased the number of fungi and actinomycetes by 4.5% and 23.1%, respectively. MPal, as a new remediation material for soil contaminated by heavy metals, could achieve efficient remediation effects when applied in small doses. Compared with Pal, it is environmentally friendly, is low cost, and is more suitable for the treatment of heavy metal pollution in large areas of farmland.

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Funding

This research was supported by the Transformation and Popularization Project of Agricultural Scientific and Technological Achievements of Tianjin (201502290).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tianjin, 300191, China

    Xu Qin, Lin Wang, Haiyan Wang & Yingming Xu

  2. Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tianjin, 300381, China

    Yetong Liu

  3. Agro-Ecological Environment Monitoring and Agricultural Products Quality Inspection Center of Tianjin, Tianjin, 300193, China

    Boyan Li

Authors
  1. Xu Qin
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  2. Yetong Liu
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  3. Lin Wang
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  4. Boyan Li
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  5. Haiyan Wang
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  6. Yingming Xu
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Contributions

The study conception and design were mainly performed by Xu Qin and Yingming Xu. Material preparation mainly performed by Xu Qin, Yetong Liu, and Lin Wang. Data collection and analysis were mainly performed by Boyan Li and Haiyan Wang. The revision and editing of revised manuscript were mainly performed by Yingming Xu.

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Correspondence to Yingming Xu.

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Qin, X., Liu, Y., Wang, L. et al. Remediation of heavy metal–polluted alkaline vegetable soil using mercapto-grafted palygorskite: effects of field-scale application and soil environmental quality. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 60526–60536 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15034-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15034-7

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