SHORT COMMUNICATION
Reducing Heavy Metals Extraction
from Contaminated Soils Using Organic
and Inorganic Amendments – a Review
Shazia Gul1, Alia Naz1, Iftikhar Fareed2, Muhammad Irshad3
1Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Haripur, Hattar Road Haripur, Pakistan
2Department of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, University of Kurdistan, Hewler, Iraq
3Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan
2Department of Natural Resources Engineering and Management, University of Kurdistan, Hewler, Iraq
3Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan
Submission date: 2014-04-18
Final revision date: 2014-05-26
Acceptance date: 2014-07-08
Publication date: 2015-05-20
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2015;24(3):1423–1426
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Recently problems relating to environmental pollution and the need to protect and preserve the environment
from further deterioration has drawn increasing research attention. The goal of any remediation based
on soil amendments is to achieve maximum reduction in the bioavailability of heavy metals by immobilization
in soils. Modern remediation approaches increasingly focus on in situ environment-friendly techniques.
Different organic and inorganic amendments have been used to treat heavy metals-contaminated soils. These
included municipal solid waste compost, biosolid compost, cow manure, sheep manure, sewage sludge, bark
chips, woodchips, vegetable waste, vermicompost, red mud, lime, beringite, zeolites, charcoal, fly ash; and
biochar etc. This review focuses on the effectiveness of soil amendments to reduce toxicity of heavy metals
by reducing available fractions that may ultimately reduce the heavy metal transfer to plants.
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