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Bioavailable soil Pb minimized by in situ transformation to plumbojarosite
Citation:
Karna, R., Matt P. Noerpel, C. Nelson, B. Elek, K. Herbin-Davis, G. Diamond, K. Bradham, David J. Thomas, AND Kirk G. Scheckel. Bioavailable soil Pb minimized by in situ transformation to plumbojarosite. PNAS (PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES). National Academy of Sciences, WASHINGTON, DC, 118(3):e2020315117, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2020315117
Impact/Purpose:
As a novel strategy to stabilize soil Pb, we evaluated the effect of plumbojarosite formation on the bioavailability of soil Pb. Our technology for plumbojarosite formation resulted in >90% incorporation of soil Pb into the mineral structure of jarosite. This conversion decreased soil Pb bioavailability by more than 90%, even after pH neutralization to revitalize the soil to agronomic health. Plumbojarosite formation may be a more effective remediation method than other soil treatment technologies and may reduce removal clean-up efforts and costs. Because jarosite can sequester both cationic and anionic contaminants, it may be effective for both Pb and As remediation. Furthermore, this treatment is not influenced by initial soil pH or organic matter content and uses an environmentally safe chemical.
Description:
Exposure to lead (Pb) during early life has persistent adverse health effects. During childhood, ingestion of bioavailable Pb in contaminated soils can be a major route of Pb absorption. Remediation to alter physiochemical properties of soil-borne Pb can reduce Pb bioavailability. Our laboratory-based approach for soil Pb remediation uses addition of iron (Fe) sulfate and application of heat to promote formation of plumbojarosite (PLJ), a sparingly soluble Pb-Fe hydroxysulfate mineral. We treated two soils with anthropogenic Pb contamination and samples of clean topsoil spiked with various Pb compounds (i.e., carbonate, chloride, phosphate [P], or sulfate) to convert native Pb species to PLJ and used a mouse assay to assess relative bioavailability (RBA) of Pb in untreated (U) and remediated soils. Bone and blood Pb levels were significantly lower (P < 0.001, Student's t test) in mice that consumed diets amended with remediated soils than with U soils.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Bioavailable soil Pb minimized by in situ transformation to plumbojarosite
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