Zeng-Yei Hseu

Digestion Methods for Total Heavy Metals in Sediments and Soils

The objectives of this study were to analyze the total contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the freshwater sediments and the arable and non-arable soils of Taiwan, and to compare the different digestion methods for their determination. Two hundred and thirty-nine freshwater sediments were collected from the Fei-Tsui Reservoir Watershed (FTRW) in northern Taiwan. Forty-two surface (0–15 cm) and subsurface (15–30 cm) soil samples were likewise collected from 21 representative arable soils derived from various parent materials and with varying weathered degrees in different regions of Taiwan. In addition, one hundred and ninety-four non-arable soils were collected from the different forest regions, industrial parks, resident areas, and commercial areas. Several digestion methods including the aquaregia and different combinations of concentrated acids (HClO4, HNO3, H2SO4, or HF) were compared. All samples were digested both by the aqua regia method and the Baker and Amacher method for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. The Reisenauer method was used for Cr and the Burau method for Pb further. The results indicate that the best digestion methods to analyze the total contents of heavy metals in the sediments and soils were recommended as follows: the Baker and Amacher method for Cd, Cr,Cu, Ni, and Zn; the Reisenauer method for Cr, but for simplicity the Baker and Amacher method is also recommended as the flexible method for the total analysis of Cr; the aqua regia method for Cu, Ni, and Zn; and the Burau method for Pb.

Remediation techniques and heavy metal uptake by different rice varieties in metal-contaminated soils of Taiwan: New aspects for food safety regulation and sustainable agriculture

Abstract Rice is one of the most important staple foods worldwide. Soil contamination with heavy metals and food safety problems occur in many countries as a result of numerous human activities, particularly wastewater and solid waste disposal. This review paper provides a schematic summary of heavy metals in identification processes, transport in soil to different rice varieties, and soil remediation strategies and techniques surrounding the agro-environmental impact in paddy soils based on a description of Taiwan’s experiences and database. In terms of the soil control standard, heavy metals including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn are regulated by the Soil and Ground ater Pollution Remediation Act of Taiwan. Owing to the heavy metal source from wastewater along irrigation systems, heavy metals not only accumulate in the surface soil (0–30 cm), but are also highly distributed at the main entrance of irrigation water into individual paddy fields. Moreover, sediments in the irrigation canal have to be dredged and the irrigation system needs to be isolated from the discharge system of wastewater to maintain soil quality. Cadmium in rice grains accumulates more significantly in Indica varieties than in Japonica varieties, and this accumulation exceeds the food quality standard. The best well-performing metal uptake models have been developed to predict Cd levels in rice grains for Indica and Japonica varieties using soil bioavailable Cd and Zn concentrations extracted by 0.01 mol L−1 CaCl2. Soil remediation techniques, including turnover and dilution, in situ stabilization by chemical amendments and phytoremediation, have been tested and recommended in Taiwan. Although the high background levels of As, Cr and Ni, which were higher the soil control standard in some paddy soils, are derived from andesite and serpentinites in Taiwan, rice quality and yield were not adversely affected by these metals when labile concentrations were very low. Overall, it is necessary to identify the bioavailability of heavy metals in different soil types from specific case studies to provide reliable parameters for health-based risk assessments and to further achieve the goal of food safety and sustainable agriculture.

In-Situ Immobilization of Cadmium and Lead by Different Amendments in Two Contaminated Soils

Different soil amendments, including 1% zeolite, 1% bentonite,5% Penghu soil (PHS), 5% Penghu soil + 1% manganese oxide (PHS + MO), 1% MO, and 1.5% silicate slag (SS), were used to immobilize Cd and Pb in two contaminated soils evaluated by single and sequential extractions and by uptake of Chinese cabbage (Brassica Chinensis L.). Results indicated that the PHS and MO significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the 0.1 M HCl extractable Cd and Pb in the two contaminated soils. Allamendment treatments did not change the organic and residual amounts of Cd and Pb in soils A and B, but the PHS andPHS + MOtreatments significantly reduced the exchangeable amounts of Cdand Pb in the two soils as measured by sequential extraction. Thecombination of PHS and MO amendments was associated with ahigh pH value and negative soil surface charge showed the best immobilizing efficiency of Cd and Pb in this study. All soil amendments investigated did not increase the dry matter weight of the plant, and most of them decreased the uptake of Cd and Pb, especially for the PHS and MO. The PHS and MO treatments reduced the extractability of Cd and Pb in two soils and theiruptake by the plant, but only the Pb content in Chinese cabbagefrom the amended soils was less than the background levels of heavy metals in leaf vegetables of Taiwan.

Concentration and distribution of chromium and nickel fractions along a serpentinitic toposequence

Lithiogenic Cr and Ni enrichments are part of the crucial fertility limitations in serpentinitic soils. However, our understanding of the bioavailability and chemical fractions of Cr and Ni in the serpentinitic soils on different landscape positions is limited. For this study, four soil pedons on the summit (Entisol), shoulder (Vertisol), backslope (Alfisol), and footslope (Ultisol) positions along a serpentinitic toposequence in eastern Taiwan were selected and their Cr and Ni concentrations assessed by single extraction and selected sequential extraction (SSE). The results indicate that the total Cr and Ni of the soil pedons follow the following order: summit ≧ shoulder > backslope ≧ footslope on the landscape. The clay mineral composition reflected the weathering sequence of the soils. The soils on the summit and shoulder positions contained considerably more smectite and serpentine than the other soils, whereas vermiculite was increased in the soils on the backslope and footslope. All four SSE fractions in the soils on the summit and shoulder were significantly higher than on the backslope and footslope. The greatest Cr and Ni concentrations occurred in the residual fraction, followed to a much lesser extent in the reducible, oxidizable and acid-extractable fractions. The Cr-extractable contents with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid and NH4OAc and acid-extractable fractions of Cr in the SSE for all the soils were generally below 5.0 mg/kg, indicating that the serpentinitic soils along the toposequence always displayed low levels of Cr in bioavailability and mobility. However, the bioavailability and mobility of Ni significantly exceeded those of Cr in the serpentinitic soils assessed with the above extractions, particularly for the summit and shoulder soils.

Health risk-based assessment and management of heavy metals-contaminated soil sites in Taiwan.

Risk-based assessment is a way to evaluate the potential hazards of contaminated sites and is based on considering linkages between pollution sources, pathways, and receptors. These linkages can be broken by source reduction, pathway management, and modifying exposure of the receptors. In Taiwan, the Soil and Groundwater Pollution Remediation Act (SGWPR Act) uses one target regulation to evaluate the contamination status of soil and groundwater pollution. More than 600 sites contaminated with heavy metals (HMs) have been remediated and the costs of this process are always high. Besides using soil remediation techniques to remove contaminants from these sites, the selection of possible remediation methods to obtain rapid risk reduction is permissible and of increasing interest. This paper discusses previous soil remediation techniques applied to different sites in Taiwan and also clarified the differences of risk assessment before and after soil remediation obtained by applying different risk assessment models. This paper also includes many case studies on: (1) food safety risk assessment for brown rice growing in a HMs-contaminated site; (2) a tiered approach to health risk assessment for a contaminated site; (3) risk assessment for phytoremediation techniques applied in HMs-contaminated sites; and (4) soil remediation cost analysis for contaminated sites in Taiwan.

WEATHERING SEQUENCES OF CLAY MINERALS IN SOILS ALONG A SERPENTINITIC TOPOSEQUENCE

There has been limited research on clay mineral transformation in serpentinitic soils under humid tropical conditions. In this study, four soil pedons were selected along a toposequence from the summit (Entisol), shoulder (Vertisol), backslope (Alfisol) to footslope (Ultisol) positions to explore the contributions and the significance of landscape and weathering status of serpentinitic rock with regard to clay mineral transformations in eastern Taiwan. Experimental results indicated that the large amount of dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate-extractable Fe (Fed) and clay in the subsurface horizon were mainly caused by the strong leaching potential from intensive rainfall and weathering of the fine-grained parent rocks. The clay mineralogy reflected the clear weathering trend of the soils along the toposequence: (1) the soils on the summit and shoulder contained smectite and serpentine, which are predominant in the young soils derived from serpentinitic rocks; and (2) vermiculite gradually increased in the relatively old soils on backslope and footslope. The mineralogical transformations observed along the toposequence indicated that chlorite and serpentine, initially present in the Entisol on the summit, weather into smectite and interstratified chlorite-vermiculite in the intermediate soil on the shoulder under strong leaching and oxidizing conditions. Furthermore, vermiculite formed as the major weathering product of chlorite and smectite in the soil developed on the backslope. In addition to vermiculite, kaolinite and quartz formed in the soils on the footslope with the greatest concentration of Fed along the toposequence.

Partitioning of arsenic in soil-crop systems irrigated using groundwater: a case study of rice paddy soils in southwestern Taiwan.

The accumulation of As in rice due to groundwater irrigation in paddy fields represents a serious health hazard in South and Southeast Asia. In Taiwan, the fate of As in long-term irrigated paddy fields is poorly understood. Groundwater, surface soil, and rice samples were collected from a paddy field that was irrigated with As-containing groundwater in southwestern Taiwan. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the source and sink of As in the paddy field by comparing the As fractions in the soils that were obtained by a sequential extraction procedure (SEP) with the As uptake of rice. The risks associated with eating rice from the field can thus be better understood. The concentration of As in groundwater varied with time throughout the growing seasons of rice, but always exceeded the permitted maximum (10 μg L(-1)) for drinking water by the WHO. The As concentration increased with the concentration of Fe in the groundwater, supporting the claim that a large amount of As was concentrated in the Fe flocs collected from the internal wall of the groundwater pump. The results of the SEP revealed that As bound with amorphous and crystalline hydrous oxides exhibited high availability in the soils. The root of rice accumulated the largest amount of As, followed by the straw, husk, and grain. Although the As concentration in the rice grain was less than 1.0 mg kg(-1), the estimated intake level was close to the maximum tolerable daily intake of As, as specified by the WHO.

Influences of thermal decontamination on mercury removal, soil properties, and repartitioning of coexisting heavy metals

Thermal treatment is a useful tool to remove Hg from contaminated soils. However, thermal treatment may greatly alter the soil properties and cause the coexisting contaminants, especially trace metals, to transform and repartition. The metal repartitioning may increase the difficulty in the subsequent process of a treatment train approach. In this study, three Hg-contaminated soils were thermally treated to evaluate the effects of treating temperature and duration on Hg removal. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed to project the suitable heating parameters for subsequent bench-scale fixed-bed operation. Results showed that thermal decontamination at temperature>400°C successfully lowered the Hg content to<20 mg kg(-1). The organic carbon content decreased by 0.06-0.11% and the change in soil particle size was less significant, even when the soils were thermally treated to 550°C. Soil clay minerals such as kaolinite were shown to be decomposed. Aggregates were observed on the surface of soil particles after the treatment. The heavy metals tended to transform into acid-extractable, organic-matter bound, and residual forms from the Fe/Mn oxide bound form. These results suggest that thermal treatment may markedly influence the effectiveness of subsequent decontamination methods, such as acid washing or solvent extraction.

Using EDDS and NTA for enhanced phytoextraction of Cd by water spinach

A greenhouse experiment was used to test the applicability of [S,S]-Ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) at rates of 2.5 mmol kg(-1) and 5.0 mmol kg(-1), respectively, to increase the uptake of Cd by water spinach (Ipomoea aquatic Forsk) in soils with 2.5-30 mg Cd kg(-1). The addition of EDDS and NTA significantly increased water soluble Cd in soils. However, the Cd concentration in the root and shoot was higher in the NTA treatment than in the EDDS treatment. No instance of Cd hyperaccumulation was observed; however, the 5.0 mmol kg(-1) NTA treatment for soil with 30 mg Cd kg(-1) caused the Cd concentration to increase to 86 mg kg(-1), which is close to the critical concentration (100 mg kg(-1)) of a hyperaccumulator. The total Cd uptake in the treatments of EDDS and NTA for soils with 2.5, 5.0, and 10 mg Cd kg(-1) was acceptable, and was higher than the control. The level of 5.0 mmol kg(-1) EDDS was excessively high for enhanced phytoextraction in soils with 20 and 30 mg Cd kg(-1). Water spinach for Cd phytoextraction is a viable alternative to using herbaceous hyperaccumulators.

A river terrace soil chronosequence of the pakua tableland in central Taiwan

Soils science and fluvial geomorphology meet on the subject about flights of river terraces whose treads rise like stairs above active channels. The Pakua tableland in central Taiwan consists of widely unpaired terraces, including six levels in altitude formed by successive river incision. The terraces serve as geomorphic markers to gauge the differential or absolute deformation of the land surface but such application is hampered by the absence of well-documented ages. Six representative soil pedons were selected from the six levels of terraces in the tableland (from the highest pedon PK-1 to lowest pedon PK-6) to characterize the soil properties in a chronosequence and to relate the pedogenic processes in the major terraces to the formation and evolution of the landscape in the study area. The soil morphological, physical, and chemical properties as well as the clay mineral variation showed that pedogenic intensity is strongly dependent on the terrace levels with varying formation age. The soils can be divided into three domains as Hapludox for pedon PK-1, Paleudult (or Hapludult) for pedons PK-2, PK-3, PK-4, and PK-5, and Dystrudept for pedon PK-6, based on Soil Taxonomy. The degree of soil development increases with altitude in a sequence from PK-1 to PK-6 forming a postincisive type of soil chronosequence in accord with the evolution of the geomorphic surface by successive river incision in the study area. Based on the crystallinity ratios of free iron, the soils give an estimated age of 40-400 ka for the river terraces of the tableland.