Review--Remediation of heavy metal(loid)s contaminated soils _ To mobilize or to immobilize

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Journal of Hazardous Materials 266 (2014) 141–166Contents lists available at ScienceDirectJournal of HazardousMaterialsj o u r n a l h o m e p a g e :w w w.e l s e v i e r.c o m /l o c a t e /j h a z m atReviewRemediation of heavy metal(loid)s contaminated soils –To mobilize or to immobilize?Nanthi Bolan a ,b ,∗,Anitha Kunhikrishnan c ,Ramya Thangarajan a ,b ,Jurate Kumpiene d ,Jinhee Park e ,Tomoyuki Makino f ,Mary Beth Kirkham g ,Kirk Scheckel haCentre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation,University of South Australia,Mawson Lakes,Australia bCooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment,Adelaide,Australia cChemical Safety Division,Department of Agro-Food Safety,National Academy of Agricultural Science,Suwon-si,Gyeonggi-do,Republic of Korea dWaste Science and Technology,Department of Civil,Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering,LuleåUniversity of Technology,LuleåSE-97187,Sweden eCentre for Mined Land Rehabilitation,University of Queensland,St Lucia,Australia fSoil Environmental Division,National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences,3-1-3Kannondai,Tsukuba,Ibaraki,Japan gDepartment of Agronomy,2004Throckmorton Plant Sciences Center,Kansas State University,Manhattan,KS,USA hNational Risk Management Research Laboratory,U.S.Environmental Protection Agency,5995Center Hill Avenue,Cincinnati,OH 45224,USAh i g h l i g h t s•Amendments used for remediationof contaminated soils influence metal(loid)bioavailability.•Case studies demonstrating the application of mobilization and immobilization techniques.•Techniques to monitor the long-term stability of immobilized metal(loid)s.•Environmental implications of mobi-lization and immobilization tech-niques.g r a p h i c a la b s t r a c ta r t i c l ei n f oArticle history:Received 24July 2013Received in revised form 6December 2013Accepted 12December 2013Available online 21 December 2013Keywords:Metals Metalloids Bioavailability MobilitySoil amendmentsa b s t r a c tUnlike organic contaminants,metal(loid)s do not undergo microbial or chemical degradation and persist for a long time after their introduction.Bioavailability of metal(loid)s plays a vital role in the reme-diation of contaminated soils.In this review,the remediation of heavy metal(loid)contaminated soils through manipulating their bioavailability using a range of soil amendments will be presented.Mobi-lizing amendments such as chelating and desorbing agents increase the bioavailability and mobility of metal(loid)s.Immobilizing amendments such of precipitating agents and sorbent materials decrease the bioavailabilty and mobility of metal(loid)s.Mobilizing agents can be used to enhance the removal of heavy metal(loid)s though plant uptake and soil washing.Immobilizing agents can be used to reduce the transfer to metal(loid)s to food chain via plant uptake and leaching to groundwater.One of the major limitations of mobilizing technique is susceptibility to leaching of the mobilized heavy metal(loid)s in the absence of active plant uptake.Similarly,in the case of the immobilization technique the long-term stability of the immobilized heavy metal(loid)s needs to be monitored.© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.∗Corresponding author at:CERAR,Building X,UniSA,University Boulevard,Mawson Lakes,SA 5095,Australia.Tel.:+61883026218;fax:+61883023124.E-mail address:Nanthi.Bolan@.au (N.Bolan).0304-3894/$–see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved./10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.12.018142N.Bolan et al./Journal of Hazardous Materials266 (2014) 141–166Contents1.Introduction (142)2.Sources of heavy metal(loid)s (143)2.1.Geogenic (143)2.2.Anthropogenic (143)3.Dynamics of heavy metal(loid)s in soils (143)3.1.Sorption/desorption process (143)3.2.Precipitation/dissolution (144)3.3.Oxidation/reduction (144)3.4.Methylation/demethylation (145)4.Approaches and indicators of bioavailability (146)4.1.Approaches to bioavailability (146)4.2.Indicators of bioavailability (146)5.Soil amendments for remediation (146)5.1.Mobilization of soil contaminants (146)5.1.1.Desorbing agents (146)5.1.2.Chelating agents (148)anic amendments (149)5.1.4.Fertilizers (149)5.1.5.Saline waters (150)5.1.6.Microbial mobilization (150)5.2.Immobilization(stabilization)of soil contaminants (150)5.2.1.Phosphate compounds (150)5.2.2.Liming materials (152)anic composts (152)5.2.4.Metal oxides (153)5.2.5.Biochar (153)6.Case studies (154)6.1.Case study1:soil washing for cadmium contaminated paddy soils (154)6.2.Case study2:immobilization of copper and lead in mine spoil (155)6.3.Case study3:immobilization of arsenic in soil contaminated with wood impregnation chemicals (156)6.4.Case study4:immobilization of lead in smelter residue (156)7.Environmental implications of(im)mobilization techniques (157)7.1.Leaching of contaminants (157)7.2.Long-term stability of immobilized metal(loid)s (158)8.Summary and conclusions (159)Acknowledgement (160)References (160)1.IntroductionIndiscriminate waste disposal practices have led to significant build up in soils of a wide range of metal(loid)s,such as arsenic(As), cadmium(Cd),chromium(Cr),copper(Cu),mercury(Hg),lead(Pb), selenium(Se),and zinc(Zn).Entry of soil-borne metal(loid)s into the food chain depends on the amount and source of metal(loid) input,the properties of the soil,the rate and magnitude of uptake by plants,and the extent of absorption by animals[1].Health authorities in many parts of the world are becoming increasingly concerned about the effects of heavy metal(loid)s on environmen-tal and human health.Historically,heavy metal(loid)toxicity to human health received attention primarily as a result of series of widespread poisoning.For example,the hundreds of tragic cases of human poisoning of Minamata Bay in Japan(Minamata disease)in the late1950s were believed to have occurred from the ingestion offish containing methyl mercuric compounds probably derived through biomethylation of mercuric salts by aquatic organisms[2].More recently high concentrations of heavy metal(loid)s,such as As,Cd,Cu,Pb,and Zn in soils have often been reported in num-ber of countries.For example,significant adverse impacts of As on human health have been recorded in Bangladesh,India,and China and it is claimed that millions of people are potentially at risk from As poisoning[3].Similarly,Cd accumulation in the offal of graz-ing animals in New Zealand and Australia made it unsuitable for human consumption and affected access of meat products to over-seas markets[4].Similarly,there have been concerns about urban development of horticultural sites which contained toxic levels of metal(loid)s such as As,Cu,and Pb in soils resulting from excessive use of fungicides and herbicides that are rich in these metal(loid)s [5].Unlike organic contaminants,metal(loid)s do not undergo microbial or chemical degradation,and the total concentration of these metal(loid)s persist for a long time after their introduction in soils[6].With greater public awareness of the implications of contaminated soils on human and animal health there has been increasing interest amongst the scientific community in the devel-opment of technologies to remediate contaminated sites.This is especially necessary since traditional methods of soil removal and replacement of clean soil is often cost prohibitive.For diffuse dis-tribution of metal(loid)s,remediation options generally include amelioration of soils to minimize the metal(loid)bioavailability. Bioavailability can be minimized through chemical and biological immobilization of metal(loid)s using a range of inorganic com-pounds,such as lime and phosphate(P)compounds,and organic compounds,such as‘exceptional quality’biosolids[7].The more localized metal(loid)contamination found in urban environments is remediated by metal(loid)mobilization processes that include phytoextraction and chemical washing.Removal of metal(loid)s through phytoextraction process and the subsequent recovery of the metal(loid)s or their safe disposal are attracting research and commercial interests[8].However,when it is not possible to remove the metal(loid)s from the contaminated sites by phytoex-traction,other viable options,such as in situ immobilization(e.g., phytostabilization)should be considered as an integral part of risk management(Fig.1).Both phytoextraction and phytostabilizationN.Bolan et al./Journal of Hazardous Materials266 (2014) 141–166143Fig.1.Schematic diagram illustrating the link between(im)mobilization,bioavail-ability and remediation of heavy metal(loid)s.precesses are part of phytoremediation technique employed to manage contaminated soils.An overview of the sources of some of the common heavy metal(loid)s input to soils,their interactions and bioavailability in soils,and the remediation of metal(loid)contaminated soils through manipulating their bioavailability using a range of mobi-lizing and immobilizing soil amendments will be presented in this review.2.Sources of heavy metal(loid)sIn terrestrial ecosystems,the soil is the main repository of chem-ical contaminants.Likewise in aquatic systems,the sediment serves as the ultimate sink for these chemicals.Heavy metal(loid)s reach the soil environment through both pedogenic and anthropogenic processes.Most heavy metal(loid)s occur naturally in soil parent materials,chiefly in forms that are not readily bioavailable for plant uptake.Unlike pedogenic inputs,heavy metal(loid)s added through anthropogenic activities typically have a high bioavail-ability[9–11].Anthropogenic activities,primarily associated with industrial processes,manufacturing,the disposal of domestic and industrial waste materials,and the application of P fertilizers are the major source of metal(loid)enrichment in soils[1,12–14].2.1.GeogenicMost of the heavy metal(loid)s occur in nature,the major source of which is weathering of soil parent materials including igneous and sedimentary rocks,and coal.The majority of As is derived from geogenic origin.For example,coal is estimated to release45,000 tons of As annually,while human activities release approximately 50,000tons[15,16].The As content of igneous rocks varies widely (up to100mg/kg);the average content is2–3mg/kg.Sedimentary rocks also vary in their As content,from small amounts in lime-stone and sandstone up to15,000mg/kg in some manganese ores [17].Although the anthropogenic As source is increasingly becom-ing important,the recent episode of extensive As-contamination of ground waters in many countries including Bangladesh,India, China,and Mexico is of geological origin,transported by rivers from sedimentary rocks in the Himalayas over tens of thousands of years [16,18–20].Similarly,seleniferous soils found in the areas of Se-rich rocks, such as black shales,carbonaceous limestones,carbonaceous cherts,mudstones,and seleniferous coal are a major source of Se input to soil.Also,irrigation of Se-rich ground water had shown to contaminate irrigation drain water and surface waters in the San Joaquin Valley,California(United States),and in Punjab,India [21,22].Volcanic and geological activities mobilize natural Hg from deep reservoirs in the earth to the atmosphere.Annual emission of Hg from global mercuriferous belts,the zone along plate tectonic including western North America,central Europe,and southern China was estimated up to500Mg/year[23,24].2.2.AnthropogenicAnthropogenic activities,primarily associated with indus-trial processes,manufacturing and the disposal of domestic and industrial waste materials are the major source of metal(loid) enrichment in soils.Atmospheric pollution from Pb-based petrol was a major issue in many countries where there was no constraint on the usage of leaded gasoline[25].While biosolids is the major source of metal(loid)inputs in Europe and North America,P fer-tilizers are considered to be the major source of heavy metal(loid) input,especially Cd,in Australia and New Zealand[4,12,26,27].Phosphate compounds contain a range of metal(loid)s[4,12,28]. Cadmium contamination of agricultural soils is of particular con-cern because it reaches the food chain through regular use of Cd-containing P fertilizers.The Cd in most P fertilizers originates mainly from the phosphate rocks(PRs)used for manufacturing P fertilizers.Although many countries have formulated threshold levels for Cd and other heavy metal(loid)accumulation in soils due to the use of municipal biosolids,such limits have not been established from fertilizer use.Large quantities of Cu are used in agriculture,horticulture,and animal industries as a trace element,in many formulations of Cu containing fungicides,such as copper oxychloride and‘Bordeaux’mixture,and as a growth promoter in piggery and poultry units [29,30].Accumulation of Cu in agricultural soils resulting from con-tinuous use of Cu fungicides and biosolids application has been reported in many countries[31–34].One of the major consequences of excessive accumulation of Cu in soils is its toxicity to plants and microbial communities,for instance,formation of bare sterile patches in orchards[35,36].Approximately6400and1600tons of tannery and timber treatment effluents,respectively,are generated annually in New Zealand,and these effluents are considered to be the major sources of Cr contamination into aquatic and terrestrial environments[37]. Chromium is used as Cr(III)in the tannery industry and as Cr(VI) in the timber treatment industry.Chromate is highly toxic and car-cinogenic even when present in very low concentrations in water. Large scale use of Cu–Cr–As(CCA)treated timber as fence post and in vineyards can also result in the release of Cu,Cr,and As to soil environment[38,39].3.Dynamics of heavy metal(loid)s in soilsMetal(loid)ions can be retained in the soil by sorption,pre-cipitation,and complexation reactions,and are removed from soil through plant uptake,leaching,and volatilization(Fig.2).Although most metal(loid)s are not subject to volatilization losses,some metal(loid)s such as As,Hg,and Se tend to form gaseous com-pounds[16,40].The fate of metal(loid)s in the soil environment is dependent on both soil properties and environmental factors.3.1.Sorption/desorption processRetention of charged metal(loid)solute species by charged surfaces of soil components is broadly grouped into specific and non-specific retention[41,42].In general terms,non-specific adsorption is a process in which the charge on the ions balances the charge on the soil particles through electrostatic attraction, whereas specific adsorption involves chemical bond formation between the ions in the solution and those in the soil surface [43–45].144N.Bolan et al./Journal of Hazardous Materials266 (2014) 141–166Fig.2.The interaction between adsorption reactions of metal(loid)s in soil and their bioavailability.Both soil properties and soil solution composition determine the dynamic equilibrium between metal(loid)s in solution and thesoil solid phase.The concentration of metal(loid)s in soil solution is influenced by the nature of both organic and inorganic ligand ions,and soil pH through their influence on metal(loid)sorption processes[46,47].Two reasons have been given for the effect of inorganic anions on the sorption of metal(loid)cations such as Pb and Cd[48–51].Hong et al.[48]indicated that inorganic anions form ion pair complexes with metal(loid)s,thereby reducing their sorption.Naidu et al.[51]indicated that the specific sorption of lig-and anions is likely to increase the negative charge on soil particles, thereby increasing the sorption of Cd.The effect of pH values>6in lowering free metal(loid)ion activ-ities in soils has been attributed to the increase in pH-dependent surface charge on oxides of Fe,Al,and Mn,chelation by organic matter,or precipitation of metal(loid)hydroxides(e.g.,Pb(OH)3) [52,53].The activity of heavy metal(loid)s(e.g.,Cd and Pb)in solu-tion in naturally acidic soils is found to decrease with increasing pH which is attributed to increasing CEC[54–57].Other chemical interactions that contribute to metal(loid)reten-tion by colloid particles include complexation reaction between metal(loid)s and the inorganic and organic ligand ions.As might be expected,the organic component of soil constituents has a high affinity for heavy metal(loid)cations such as Cu,Cd,and Pb because of the presence of ligands or groups that can form chelates with metal(loid)s[47,58].With increasing pH,the carboxyl,phenolic, alcoholic,and carbonyl functional groups in soil organic matter dissociate,thereby increasing the affinity of ligand ions for these metal(loid)cations.The extent of metal(loid)–organic complex formation,however,varies with a number of factors including tem-perature,steric factors,and concentration.All these interactions are controlled by solution pH and ionic strength,the nature of the metal(loid)species,dominant cation,and inorganic and organic ligands present in the soil solution.3.2.Precipitation/dissolutionPrecipitation appears to be the predominant process in high pH soils and in the presence of anions such as SO42−,CO32−,OH−,and HPO42−,and when the concentration of the heavy metal(loid)ion is high[54,59,60].Precipitation of metal(loid)phosphates/carbonates is considered to be one of the mechanisms for the immobilization of heavy metal(loid)s such as Cu and Pb,especially in substrates containing high concentration of these metal(loid)s.For example, McGowen et al.[61]noticed that P decreased the leaching of Cd,Pb, and Zn.Activity-ratio diagrams indicated that diammonium phos-phate decreased solution metal(loid)concentrations by forming metal(loid)–P precipitates.Similarly,liming typically enhance the retention of metal(loid)s[1].For instance,Bolan and Thiyagarajan [62]found increased retention of Cr(III)with lime-induced increase in pH.As(III) oxidation rate (µM/hr)100200300400500 Bacterialsp.12345678910111213141516Fig.3.Arsenite oxidation potential of various bacterial strains:(1)herminiimonas arsenicoxydans ULPAs1,(2)thermus aquaticus,(3)thermus thermophiles,(4) agrobacterium albertimagni AOL15,(5)agrobacterium tumefaciens-5A,(6)Achro-mobacter sp.GW1,(7)thermus aquaticus AO3C,(8)ochrobactrum tritici SCII24, (9)Achromobacter sp.SY8,(10)Pseudomonas sp.TS44,(11)Alcaligenes sp.RS-19, (12)Marinobacter santoriniensis NKSG1,(13)Pseudomonas arsenicoxydans VC-1,(14) Bosea sp.AR-11,(15)SPB-24,(16)SPB-31[79].Co-precipitation of metal(loid)s especially in the presence of iron oxyhydroxides has also been reported and often such interac-tions lead to significant changes in the surface chemical properties of the substrate.Lu et al.[63]confirmed that co-precipitation of Pb(II)with ferric oxyhydroxides occurred at∼pH4and is more effi-cient than adsorption in removing Pb(II)from aqueous solutions at similar sorbate/sorbent ratios and pH.Arsenate(As(V))sorp-tion onto ferrihydrite,and Ni(II)and Cr(III)sorption onto hydrous iron oxides showed that co-precipitation was more efficient pro-cess than sorption for metal(loid)removal from aqueous solutions. Violante et al.[64]noticed that As(V)was desorbed by P from a ferrihydrite on which As(V)was added than from a Fe–As(V)co-precipitate.The potential value of P and liming materials in the remediation of metal(loid)contaminated soils is discussed below.3.3.Oxidation/reductionMetal(loid)s,including As,Cr,Hg,and Se,are most commonly subjected to microbial oxidation/reduction reactions,thereby influencing their speciation and mobility(Table1).For example, metals(e.g.,Cu and Hg)generally are less soluble in their higher oxidation state,whereas the solubility and mobility of metalloids (e.g.,As)depend on both the oxidation state and the ionic form[77]. The redox reactions are grouped into two categories,assimilatory and dissimilatory[78].In assimilatory reactions,the metal(loid) (e.g.,Se)substrate is involved in the metabolic functioning of the organism by acting as terminal electron acceptor.In contrast,for dissimilatory reactions the metal(loid)substrate has no known role in the metabolic functioning of the species responsible for the reac-tion,and indirectly initiates redox reactions.Arsenic in soils and sediments can be oxidized to As(V)by bac-teria[79,80](Fig.3).Since As(V)is strongly retained by inorganic soil components,microbial oxidation results in the immobilization of As.Under well drained conditions As would present as As(V), whereas under reduced conditions,As(III)dominates in soils,but elemental arsenic[As(0)]and arsine(H2As)can also be present. Oxidation of Cr(III)to Cr(VI)can enhance the mobilization and bioavailability of Cr.It is primarily mediated abiotically through oxidizing agents such as Mn(IV),and to a lesser extent by Fe(III), whereas reduction of Cr(VI)to Cr(III)is mediated through bothN.Bolan et al./Journal of Hazardous Materials 266 (2014) 141–166145Table 1Selected references on the effect of various soil amendments on the redox reactions of metal(loid)s in soils.Metal(loid)sSoil amendmentsObservationsReferencesCr Cattle manureEnhanced the reduction of Cr(VI)to Cr(III).[65,66]Cr Biosolid compost,Manures,spent mushroom Organic amendments increased DOC,which reduced Cr(VI)to Cr(III)in soils.[12]CrComposted cow manureChromate leaching was reduced in soils in the presence of elevated organic matter because of reduction followed by retention on cation exchange sites or precipitation.[67]Cr Zero valent ironEnhanced the reduction of Cr(VI)to Cr(III).[68]Cr Colloidal zerovalent ironA majority of Cr(VI)was reduced at pH 5.[69]Cr Mn oxide salts,birnessite and todorokite The amendments were equally capable of oxidizing Cr(III)to Cr(VI).[70]AsIron oxideAt lower redox,insoluble sulfides can be formed either with iron (AsFeS,arsenopyrite;at strongly reducing conditions)or without iron (As 2S 3,orpiment;at moderately reducing conditions).[71]AsFe(III)and Mn(III)oxidesFe(III)and Mn(III)oxides oxidized As(III)to As(V)through electron transfer reaction.[16]As Goethite [␣-Fe III OOH]Rapidly oxidized As(III)to As(V)[72]Hg Green rusts (mixture of Fe II /Fe III hydroxides)Reduced Hg(II)to Hg(0)in suboxic soils and sediments.[73]Se Green rustIn suboxic conditions,green rust reduced Se(VI)to Se(0).[74,75]SeZero valent ironReduced Se(VI)to insoluble selenide (Se(-II))species.[76]abiotic and biotic processes [37].Chromate (Cr(VI))can be reduced to Cr(III)in environments where a ready source of electrons (Fe(II))is available and microbial Cr(VI)reduction occurs in the presence of organic matter as an electron donor [37,81](Fig.4).In living sys-tems,Se tends to be reduced rather than oxidized,and reduction occurs under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.Dissimilatory Se(IV)reduction to Se(0)by chemical reductants such as sulfide or hydroxylamine,or biochemically by glutathione reductase,is the major biological transformation for remediation of Se oxyanions in anoxic sediments [82].Hence,precipitation of Se(0),which has been associated with bacterial dissimilatory Se(VI)reduction,has great environmental significance [83,84].In the case of Hg,microor-ganisms,particularly bacteria play a major role in reducing reactive Hg(II)to non-reactive Hg(0),which may be subjected to volatiliza-tion losses.Mercury(II)is reduced to Hg(0)by mercuric reductase,and the dissimilatory reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis has been shown to reduce Hg(II)to Hg(0),which requires the presence of electron donors [85].3.4.Methylation/demethylationMethylation is a biological mechanism for the removal of toxic metal(loid)s (e.g.,Hg)by converting them to methyl derivativesM a x i m u m C r r e d u c t i o n (m g /k g )100200300400500600S o i l S o i l 1+B S o i l 1+C M S o i l S o i l 2+B S o i l 2+C M S o i l S o i l 3+B S o i l 3+C M Fig.4.Effect of carbon amendments on maximum Cr reduction (mg/kg)in soils (soil 1,calcic red sandy loam;soil 2,calcic red clay;and soil 3,tannery waste contaminated soil;BC black carbon;CMB chicken manure biochar)[37].that are subsequently removed by volatilization [86].Methy-lated derivatives of As,Hg,and Se can originate from chemical and biological mechanisms and this frequently results in altered volatility,solubility,toxicity,and mobility.Although methyla-tion of metal(loid)s occurs through both chemical (abiotic)and biological processes,biological methylation (biomethylation)is considered to be the dominant process in soils and aquatic envi-ronments.Biomethylation may result in metal(loid)detoxification,since methylated derivatives may be excreted readily from cells,and are often volatile and may be less toxic,e.g.,organoarsenicals.Thayer and Brinckman [87]grouped methylation into two categories:trans-methylation and fission-methylation.Trans-methylation is the transfer of an intact methyl group from one compound (methyl donor)to another (methyl acceptor).Fission-methylation is the fission of a compound (methyl source),not necessarily containing a methyl group,so as to eliminate a molecule such as formic acid.The fission molecule is subsequently captured by another compound which is reduced to a methyl group.Microorganisms in soils and sediments act as biologically active methylators [22,88].Organic matter provides the methyl-donor source for both biomethylation and abiotic methylation in soils and sediments.Methylation of Hg is controlled by low molecular weight fractions of fulvic acid in soils [89].Similarly,Lambertsson and Nils-son [90]suggested that organic matter and alternative electron acceptors influenced methylation of Hg in the sediments.Biomethylation is effective in forming volatile compounds of As such as alkylarsines,which could easily be lost to the atmo-sphere [91,92].Benthic microbes methylate As under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions to produce methylarsines and methyl-arsenic compounds with a generic formula (CH 3)n As(O)(OH)3−n .Monomethylarsenate (MMA)and dimethylarsenite (DMA)are common organoarsenicals in river water.Methylated As species could result from direct excretion by algae or microbes or from degradation of the excreted arsenicals or more complex cellular organoarsenicals [93].Methylation of Hg occurs under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions [94].Regnell and Tunlid [95]showed that the propor-tion of methylated Hg was significantly higher in the anaerobic condition than in aerobic systems consisting of undisturbed lake sediment and water.Under anaerobic conditions Hg(II)ions can be biologically methylated to form either monomethyl or dimethyl Hg which are highly toxic and more biologically mobile than the other forms [6].The main methylation mechanism for Hg involves non-enzymatic transfer of methyl groups of methylcobalamin to Hg(II)ions [96].Selenium biomethylation is of interest because it represents a potential mechanism for removing Se from contaminated146N.Bolan et al./Journal of Hazardous Materials266 (2014) 141–166environments as methylated compounds,such as dimethyl selenide(DMSe)are less toxic than dissolved Se oxyanions. Dimethyl selenide can be demethylated in anoxic sediments as well as anaerobically by an obligate methylotroph similar to Methanococcides methylutens in pure culture.An anaerobic demethylation reaction may result in the formation of toxic and reactive H2Se from less toxic DMSe.Aerobic demethylation of DMSe is likely to yield Se(VI),thereby retaining Se in the system.4.Approaches and indicators of bioavailability4.1.Approaches to bioavailabilityThe generic definition of bioavailability is the potential for living organisms to take up chemicals from food(i.e.,oral)or from the abiotic environment(i.e.,external)to the extent that the chemicals may become involved in the metabolism of the organism.More specifically,it refers to the biologically available chemical fraction (or pool)that can be taken up by an organism and can react with its metabolic machinery[97];or it refers to the fraction of the total chemical that can interact with a biological target[98].In order to be bioavailable,the contaminants(e.g.,metal(loid)s)have to come in contact with the organism(i.e.,physical accessibility).Moreover, metal(loid)s need to be in a particular form(i.e.,chemical accessi-bility)to be able to enter a plant root.In essence,for a metal(loid) to be bioavailable,it will have to be mobile and transported acrossa membrane and be in an accessible form to the plant.4.2.Indicators of bioavailabilityBioavailability of metal(loid)s in soils can be examined using chemical extraction and bioassay tests that determine a fraction of the metal(loid)s is bioaccessible.Chemical extraction tests include single extraction and sequential fractionation[99–101].Bioassay involves plants,animals,and microorganisms[102,103].A range of chemical extractants including mineral acids(e.g., 1N HCl),salt solutions(e.g.,0.01M CaCl2),buffer solutions(e.g., 1M NH4OAc),and chelating agents[e.g.,diethylene triamine pen-taacetic acid(DTPA)]have been used to predict the bioavailability of metal(loid)s in soils[104–106].Chelating agents,such as ethylene-diamine tetraacetic acid(EDTA–0.05M)and0.05M DTPA,have often been found to be more reliable in predicting the plant avail-ability of metal(loid)s[107,108],since they are more effective in removing soluble metal(loid)–organic complexes that are poten-tially bioavailable.Sequential fractionation schemes are often used to examine the redistribution or partitioning of metal(loid)s in various chemical forms that include soluble,adsorbed(exchangeable),precipitated, organic,and occluded.Although the extraction procedures vary, generally the solubility and bioavailability of metal(loid)s in soils decrease with each successive step of the scheme[99,109].Specific chemical pools measured by chemical fractionation schemes have been correlated with plant uptake of metal(loid)s and have been successful in predicting the plant availability of metal(loid)s in soils [54,110].The bioavailability of metal(loid)s in soils has recently been examined using physiologically based in vitro chemical fraction-ation schemes that include the Physiologically Based Extraction Test(PBET),Relative Bioaccessibility Leaching Procedure(RBALP), Potentially Bioavailable Sequential Extraction(PBASE),and Gas-trointestinal(GI)Test[111–113].These innovative tests predict the bioavailability of metal(loid)s in soil and sediments when ingested by animals and humans.As in the case of traditional sequen-tial extraction schemes,the ability of these tests to solubilize metal(loid)s increases with each successive extraction step.Despite the recognized nonspecific(i.e.,operational)nature of chemical extraction methods,their analytical simplicity and rapidity ren-ders them most suitable for routine identification of metal(loid) form and estimation of the bioavailability of metal(loid)s under field conditions.However,the distribution of a given metal(loid) among the various fractions can only be considered as an estimate at best due to the subjectivity of the steps involved.Measurements of metal(loid)bioavailability and toxicity in soils using soil microorganisms are receiving increasing attention,as microorganisms are more sensitive to heavy-metal(loid)stress than plants or soil macrofauna[114,115].The methods using microflora and protozoa have the potential to provide a mea-sure of bioavailability of heavy metal(loid)s in the short-term and even facilitate the measurement of temporal changes.In con-trast,responses by mesofauna(microarthropods)and macrofauna (enchytridae,invertebrates,and earthworms)have cumulative effects.These methods,however,are time consuming and can only provide an overall effect of heavy metal(loid)bioavailability to the species tested.Although molecular techniques are rapidly devel-oped and applied,they are comparatively expensive,and thus the level of information provided by these techniques need to be clearly demonstrated[116,117].5.Soil amendments for remediationA number of amendments are used either to mobilize or immo-bilize heavy metal(loid)s in soils.The basic principle involved in the mobilization technique is to release the metal(loid)s in to soil solution,which is subsequently removed using higher plants.In contrast,in the case of the immobilization technique the metal(loid)concerned is removed from soil solution either through adsorption,complexation,and precipitation reactions,thereby ren-dering the metal(loid)s unavailable for human and plant uptake and leaching to groundwater[12].In this section the potential value of these soil amendments in the(im)mobilization of metal(loid)s in relation to remediation will be discussed.Kirkham[118]reviewed titles of papers cited in thefirst30 issues of Current Contents:Agriculture,Biology and Environmental Sciences published in2012and identified38papers dealing with mobilizing and immobilizing agents.Of the38papers,six dealt with immobilization,29dealt with mobilization,and two dealt with both topics.One paper,by Desaules[119],dealt with meth-ods evaluating how one can tell if a soil is contaminated naturally or anthropogenically,and he pointed out that distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic metal(loid)contents in soils depends upon values for natural content,which range considerably.The fact that three-quarters of the papers reviewed by Kirkham[118]con-sidered mobilization shows that removal of the pollutant is of more concern than stabilization of the contaminant.This reflects the pos-sibility that,over time,metal(loid)s once immobilized in the soil will become available for plant uptake[120–123].5.1.Mobilization of soil contaminantsMobilization of contaminants can be achieved through solubi-lization,desorption,chelation,and complexation reactions which result in the redistribution of contaminants from solid phase to solution phase,thereby increasing their bioavailability(Table2).5.1.1.Desorbing agentsAddition of P fertilizers to Pb–As(V)contaminated soils has resulted in an increase in the solubilization and subsequent mobil-ity of certain oxyanions,such as selenite,As(V),and Cr(VI)in soils [152–157].Seaman et al.[158]observed that increasing levels of hydroxyapatite addition to metal(loid)-contaminated sediments resulted in increases in the concentrations of Cr(VI)and As(V)in。