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. 2022 Aug 22;27(16):5340.
doi: 10.3390/molecules27165340.

Remediation of Soil Mercury by Modified Vermiculite-Montmorillonite and Its Effect on the Growth of Brassica chinensis L

Chang Li  1   2 , Yuchen Li  1   2 , Hua Cheng  1   2 , Chunlu Jiang  1   2 , Liugen Zheng  1   2
Affiliations

Remediation of Soil Mercury by Modified Vermiculite-Montmorillonite and Its Effect on the Growth of Brassica chinensis L

Chang Li et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

In this study, the surface of vermiculite-montmorillonite was modified by MnO2 loading. The modified vermiculite-montmorillonite was added to remediate the potentially toxic trace element (PTE) Hg present in soil containing coal gangue. Pot experiments were conducted to analyze and compare the pH values, Hg contents and Hg species present in coal gangue-containing soil, with and without the modified materials added, to determine whether the addition of modified materials had an effect on the growth of Brassica chinensis L. Results showed that with the addition of 35 g·kg-1 modified vermiculite-montmorillonite, the pH of soil increased by a value of 0.79, compared with that in the control group. When 15 g·kg-1 was added, the concentration of Hg in soil decreased by 98.2%. The addition of modified materials promoted the transformation of Hg in soil from a bioavailable form to an unavailable form; that is, the content of the residual form increased. The plant height and biomass of Brassica chinensis L. also increased, which indicated that the addition of modifiers can increase soil productivity, reduce the effects of PTEs on organisms in soil, and promote plant growth. Therefore, the addition of modified vermiculite-montmorillonite can achieve remediation of coal gangue-containing soil.

Keywords: Hg; in situ remediation; modified material; soil contamination.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
pH values of different groups of soil. (MVM: modified vermiculite-montmorillonite). Different letters above the bar diagram indicate the significant difference of pH in different gruops of soil. The same letters indicate significant differences in means (p < 0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mercury content of soil modified by different materials, and with different manganese dioxide concentrations.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mercury content of plants modified by different materials, and with different manganese dioxide concentrations.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Speciation of mercury in soil modified by different materials, and by different manganese dioxide concentrations.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Plant height of different groups of vegetables. (* indicates values significant at p < 0.05). Different letters above the bar diagram indicate the significant difference of fresh weight of shoot in different groups of soil.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Fresh weight of stems and leaves of different groups of vegetables. (* indicates values significant at p < 0.05). Different letters above the bar diagram indicate the significant difference of fresh weight of shoot in different groups of soil.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Root fresh weight of different groups of vegetables. (* indicates values significant at p < 0.05). Different letters above the bar diagram indicate the significant difference of fresh weight of shoot in different groups of soil.
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