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Trace elements bioavailability to Triticum aestivum and Dendrobaena veneta in a multielement-contaminated agricultural soil amended with drinking water treatment residues

  • Reclamation and Management of Polluted Soils: Options and Case Studies
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Abstract

Purpose

The in situ stabilization of multielement-contaminated agricultural soils has limited effectiveness when using common single amendments. This study examined the use of drinking water treatment residues (WTR), based on (hydr)oxides of Fe, Al, or Mn, as a cost-effective solution to optimize the immobilization of metals (Cd, Pb, Zn) and As.

Materials and methods

Trace elements (TE) bioavailability was assessed under semi-controlled conditions in a pot study cultivating winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Tiger) until maturity. An Fe-based WTR and a Mn-based WTR, applied at rates of 0.5 and 1% (m/m), were related to effects of lime marl (LM) application. Additionally, a bioassay with earthworms (Dendrobaena veneta) was conducted. Both bioassays were compared with measurements of NH4NO3-soluble, diffusive gradients in thin film (DGT)-available and soil solution TE concentrations, representing well-established surrogates for mimicking the bioavailable element fractions in soil.

Results and discussion

The application of the Fe-based WTR reduced As accumulation in vegetative wheat tissues (by up to 75%) and earthworms (by up to 41%), which corresponded with the findings from soil chemical analyses and improved plant growth and earthworm body weight. However, As concentrations in cereal grains were not affected, Cd or Pb accumulation by wheat was not mitigated, and Zn uptake was enhanced. By contrast, the Mn-based WTR effected the greatest reduction in Pb uptake, and lowered Cd transfer to wheat grain (by up to 25%). Neither the NH4NO3-soluble nor DGT-available concentrations matched with Cd and Zn accumulation in plants or earthworms, indicating interferences due to competition for binding sites according to the biotic ligand model.

Conclusions

The results obtained in this study suggest that a bioassay with key species prior to field application should be mandatory when designing in situ stabilization options. The application of WTR to an agricultural soil strongly affected TE bioavailability to plants and earthworms. Low application rates tended to improve biomass production of biota. Higher application rates involved risks (e.g., P fixation, TE inputs), and none of the amendments tested could immobilize all targeted elements.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully thank Prof. B. Marschner for providing the drinking water treatment residue WTRA and A. Weiske for ICP-measurements. This work was financially supported by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7-KBBE-266124, Greenland).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Technische Universität Dresden, PF 1117, 01737, Tharandt, Germany

    Silke Neu, Carsten Brackhage & E. Gert Dudel

  2. Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Pillnitzer Platz 3, 01326, Dresden Pillnitz, Germany

    Ingo Müller

  3. Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute, Czartoryskich 8, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland

    Rafał Gałązka & Grzegorz Siebielec

  4. Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna – BOKU, 3430, Tulln, Austria

    Markus Puschenreiter

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  1. Silke Neu
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  2. Ingo Müller
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  3. Carsten Brackhage
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  4. Rafał Gałązka
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Correspondence to Silke Neu.

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Neu, S., Müller, I., Brackhage, C. et al. Trace elements bioavailability to Triticum aestivum and Dendrobaena veneta in a multielement-contaminated agricultural soil amended with drinking water treatment residues. J Soils Sediments 18, 2259–2270 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1741-1

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