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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until May 05, 2025

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Novel In Situ Heavy Metal and Toxic Organic Soil Remediation to Reduce Human Health Exposure and Promote Soil Health

Lake, Loryssa
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1709729872529085

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Environmental Science.
Historical and current anthropogenic activity combined with land turnovers and rampant vacancies have increased human exposure risk to contaminants. This exposure risk disproportionately affects lower income communities and can have detrimental impacts on human health, particularly children. A management solution is needed to address this widespread contamination of vacant lots. Additionally, federal and state regulators continue to lower residential soil Pb standards which will likely require new risk-based approaches to address urban soil Pb contamination. This dissertation examines three different amendment types (P amendments, Fe oxide containing amendments, and potassium permanganate (KMnO4)) for their ability to address urban Pb soil contamination and reduce human health exposure risk. Remediation strategies that can address both organic and inorganic pollutants are also needed. This is addressed in Chapter 3. This dissertation is written as a series of manuscripts to be submitted to the appropriate journals; this will be reflected by slight differences in formatting. In Chapter 1, readily available P sources (biosolids incinerator ash, poultry litter, biosolids compost, and triple super phosphate) of varying solubility were assessed as soil amendments to reduce Pb bioaccessibility and serve as an inexpensive remediation strategy for urban soil. Contaminated soil from Cleveland, OH was treated with the P soil amendments at a 1:5 Pb:P molar ratio and incubated for 3 months. A slurry analysis was also conducted to assess reduction in bioaccessible Pb independent of time. Pb bioaccessibility was evaluated using US EPA Method 1340 at pH 1.5 and the Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET). Treatments were largely found ineffective regardless of IVBA extraction method, incubation duration, slurry analyses, or P source. Method 1340 had one significant treatment (combined poultry litter and BIA) but only resulted in a 8% IVBA Pb reduction. The same treatment was also significant for PBET but only reduced IVBA Pb by 16%. Neither of these reductions are significant enough to reduce Pb exposure risk. The results of this study suggest P amendments are not suitable to address urban alkaline Pb contamination and illustrates the necessity of performing site specific measurements before recommending P treatments as a solution to urban Pb soil contamination. Chapter 2 evaluates high iron biosolids incinerator ash (BIA) for its ability to sequester Pb. Blends were then created with BIA and other beneficial use products to determine the most effective treatment to reduce Pb bioaccessibility. The sorption capacity and strength of sorption of the BIA for Pb was evaluated by spiking the BIA with Pb(NO3)2 ranging from 0 to 100,000 mg Pb/kg BIA and then evaluating the dried material for Pb bioaccessibility using US EPA Method 1340 at pH 2.5. Contaminated soil from Cleveland, OH was treated with BIA and the blends at a 1:1 (w/w) ratio and Pb bioaccessibility evaluated using US EPA Method 1340 at pH 2.5 and the Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET). BIA was found to be a strong sorbent of lead, sorbing ~100% of the Pb from solution at the 10,000 ppm spike with only 41.1% bioaccessibility for pH 2.5 . Topsoil blends 2 and 4 were found to reduce Pb bioaccessibility by 48% from the control for both bioaccessibility methods. PBET bioaccessibility of Pb < US EPA Method 1340 at pH 2.5. However, similar reductions in IVBA Pb between control and topsoil BIA treated soils were observed for all bioaccessibility methods. Results show BIA in topsoil blends was a successful remediation treatment to reduce bioaccessible Pb. In Chapter 3, soils co-contaminated with Pb and carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons (cPAH) soils were spiked with KMnO4 (at 0.018M or 0.088M) at a 1: 20 soil to solution ratio. The effect of KMnO4 on human exposure via soil ingestion was evaluated by USEPA Method 1340 at pH 1.5 and 2.5. The ability of KMnO4 to reduce soil cPAH and impact on soil enzymatic activity was determined. Toxicity assays (soil respiration and lettuce germination and shoot elongation) were also performed on incubated CLE soils at a reduced soil solution ratio of 1:2 at two rates: 0.18 M and 0.88 M. At 2.5 extraction pH, both rates significantly reduced IVBA Pb, in some cases ~99%. Results at pH 1.5 were less conclusive at 0.018 M but at 0.088 M, treatments significantly reduced IVBA Pb, particularly for CLE soils. Lowered soil:solution ratio did not have a significant impact on treatment efficacy for IVBA Pb. The cPAHs were reduced for both treatment rates but only the low treatment rate decreased concentrations below all regulatory standards. Effects on enzyme activity, plant yield, and microbial respiration are mixed with plant yield and enzyme activity being diminished due to treatments and microbial respiration improving. Results from this study suggest KMnO4 is promising remediation approach to address urban contamination. The results of this dissertation indicate the effectiveness of various treatments to remediate contaminated urban alkaline soils. Many of the treatments examined in this dissertation were considered on a site-specific basis. P treatments, though strong sorbents of Pb, are not appropriate to address urban Cleveland alkaline soils whereas potassium permanganate was shown to significantly reduce bioaccessible Pb and degrade PAHs using site specific conditions. It is unknown whether permanganate would be effective in non-urban soils and more research is needed to determine its applications. It is likely to work in other soil environments and contamination types, but this remains to be evaluated. However, given the lack of effective treatments for urban soils, permanganate’s success in reducing urban Pb exposure risk may be a sufficient use. Conversely, the soil blends developed in Project 2 have widespread applicability in various soil and contamination types as they can serve as a soil cap to reduce cumulative human exposure risk to contaminants. Additionally, soil blend compositions can be determined by locally available byproducts allowing for them to be used universally.
Nicholas Basta (Advisor)
Brian Lower (Committee Member)
Steven Lower (Committee Member)
Darryl Hood (Committee Member)
121 p.
Environmental Science; Soil Sciences
soil blends; in vitro bioaccessibility; urban soil, remediation; soil contamination; As; Pb; BaP; phosphorus; human health exposure risk

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lake, L. (2024). Novel In Situ Heavy Metal and Toxic Organic Soil Remediation to Reduce Human Health Exposure and Promote Soil Health [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1709729872529085

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lake, Loryssa. Novel In Situ Heavy Metal and Toxic Organic Soil Remediation to Reduce Human Health Exposure and Promote Soil Health. 2024. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1709729872529085.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lake, Loryssa. "Novel In Situ Heavy Metal and Toxic Organic Soil Remediation to Reduce Human Health Exposure and Promote Soil Health." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1709729872529085

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1709729872529085
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