Spore counts, species composition and richness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and soil glomalin contents were evaluated in a soil contaminated with Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb after rehabilitation by partial replacement of the contaminated soil with non-contaminated soil, and by Eucalyptus camaldulensis planting with and without Brachiaria decumbens sowing. These rehabilitation procedures were compared...

Many foodborne outbreaks of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection have been associated with the consumption of contaminated vegetables. On-farm contaminations through contaminated manure or irrigation water application were considered likely sources of the pathogen for several outbreaks. Field studies were done to determine the survival of E. coli O157:H7 on two subterranean crop...

Contamination of the environment in Kuwait occurred in 1990-1991 during the Iraqi invasion and due to explosion of more than 700 oil wells. Oil contamination caused serious damage to the environment. This study was conducted to estimate the extent and volume of contaminated soil by using remote sensing, GIS application and field survey.. A map of the area was developed by GIS showing four types...

The utilisation of industrial bi-products such as cement kiln dust (CKD) is of increasing importance as an option for stabilising contaminated sites due to its pozzolanic nature and also in view of minimising the environmental impact. The experimental programme was carried out in the present study to evaluate the efficacy of CKD as stabilising agent at different percentages 2%, 6%, and 14% (w/w...

The eco-toxicological indicators used to evaluate soil quality complement the physico-chemical criteria employed in contaminated site remediation, but their cost, time, sophisticated analytical methods and in-situ inapplicability pose a major challenge to rapidly detect and map the extent of soil contamination. This paper describes a sensor-based approach for measuring potential (substrate-indu...

Increases in ore mining, metal smelting activities, and several other industrial practices in recent times have brought about contamination of soils at higher levels; these have prompted concerns on the consequent effects on the local and global ecosystem. Various remediation technologies have often been sought to meet the challenges. This study therefore seeks to assess the potential of cashew...

phytoremediation has gained increasing attention in recent years because of its ability to clean up and redevelop brownfield sites. petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated sites are among most prevalent industrial sites in iran as one of the top oil producers in the world, which are in great need of remediation to prevent associated environmental and human health risks. a greenhouse study was conduc...

The high hydrophobicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) strongly reduces their bioavailability in aged contaminated soils, thus limiting their bioremediation. The biodegradation of PAHs in soils can be enhanced by employing surface-active agents. However, chemical surfactants are often recalcitrant and exert toxic effects in the amended soils. The effects of two biogenic materials as...

A number of studies have found that gastrointestinal absorption of arsenic from soil is limited, indicating that a relative oral bioavailability (RBA) adjustment is warranted when calculating risks from exposure to arsenic-contaminated soil. However, few studies of arsenic bioavailability from soil have been conducted in animal models with phylogenetic similarity to humans, such as nonhuman pri...

The effects of heavy metals and phytoextraction practices on a soil microbial community were studied during 12 months using a hyperaccumulating plant (Thlaspi caerulescens) grown in an artificially contaminated soil. The 16S ribosomal RNA genes of the Bacteria and the beta-Proteobacteria and the amoA gene (encoding the alpha-subunit of ammonia monooxygenase) were PCR-amplified and analysed by d...