Impact of Heavy Metal Containing Wastewater on Agricultural Soil and Produce: Relevance of Biological Treatment

摘要

Increasing discharge of heavy metals in water and soil from different sources is a matter of concern for the environment and health safety. Irrigation with heavy metal contaminated water can deteriorate the quality of soil as well as the agricultural produce. In the present study, the scenario of heavy metal contamination in water bodies has been reviewed and the impact of heavy metals on various soil properties such as carbon mineralization, microbial biomass, enzymes activities, nitrogen fixation, pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) has been analysed. Subsequently, metal accumulation in crops has been surveyed and in some cases concentrations of these heavy metals in edible part of crops were found higher than the prescribed guidelines by various government agencies. Recently, developed biological methods at lab and pilot level for remediation of heavy metals, and the challenges for implementation of these technologies, have also been discussed in this mini-review.