An assessment of the Causes of Lead Pollution and the Efficiency of Bioremediation by Plants and Microorganisms

A rapid increase in mining industries associated with an increase in lead demand has resulted in the problem of lead poisoning. In this study, the initial causes of lead pollution were investigated. The results suggest that soil pollution from lead did not occur in urban and agricultural areas due to the efforts of decreased lead use and an increase in recycling; however, serious pollution locally occurred in the areas where metallurgy and mining industries were present. Therefore, remedia‐ tion must be carried out in the latter areas. Next, the efficiency of lead remedia‐ tion by plants and microorganisms in the areas with increased lead pollution was assessed. The plants showing high potential have been developed, and phytoextrac‐ tion is a promising process. However, a more cost-effective method is necessary to achieve widespread implementation. Thus, a novel remediation method (the landfarming with immobilized microorganisms (LIM) method) to overcome the problem of cost was proposed. The LIM method combines the immobilized technique with landfarming. As the treatment period is short and the lead can readily be recycled from the soil, the LIM method may be a better alternative to phytoextraction for lead remediation.