Innovative amendments derived from industrial and municipal wastes enhance plant growth and soil functions in potentially toxic elements-polluted environments

Potentially toxic elements (PTE), e.g. As, Sb, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, can severely impact soil element cycling, organic matter turnover and inhabiting microbiota. Very often this has dramatic consequences for plant growth yield which are greatly restricted in PTE-contaminated soils. The use of innovative amendments to reduce the labile pool such contaminants, result as a feasible sustainable strategy improve fertility functionality soils well exploit these latter from an agronomic point view. Water treatment residuals (WTR), red muds (RM), organic-based materials originating waste cycle, municipal solid compost (MSWC) biochar (BCH), have emerged last decades promising amendments. In paper, we report synthesis lessons learned research carried out 20 years on above-mentioned manipulation considered possess physico-chemical properties useful PTE (e.g. alkaline pH, porosity, Fe/Al phases, specific functional groups ionic composition among others). addition, they contain inorganic nutrients contribute chemical, microbial biochemical status. This is reflected by higher content amended and/or increase cation exchange capacity, available P total N dissolved C. As result, abundance, particular heterotrophic fungi bacteria, enzyme activities dehydrogenase, urease β-glucosidase) commonly enhanced soils, while be significantly stimulated. Overall, obtained results suggest that studied used bioavailability polluted status functionality, enhance productivity different crops. offer precious opportunity productive recovery PTE-polluted soils.
 Highlights - residuals, muds, contaminated When amendments, WTR, RM, MSWC BCH chemical stimulate activity bacterial abundance strategic environments PTE.