Silver contamination and its toxicity and risk management in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Lokesh P Padhye; Tahereh Jasemizad; Shiv Bolan; Olga V Tsyusko; Jason M Unrine; Basanta Kumar Biswal; Rajasekhar Balasubramanian; Yingyu Zhang; Tao Zhang; Jian Zhao; Yang Li; Jörg Rinklebe; Hailong Wang; Kadambot H M Siddique; Nanthi Bolan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161926

Silver contamination and its toxicity and risk management in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

Sci Total Environ. 2023 May 1:871:161926. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161926. Epub 2023 Feb 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
² UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
³ Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
⁴ Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA; Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA.
⁵ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576, Singapore.
⁶ Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions of Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
⁸ University of Wuppertal, School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Foundation Engineering, Water- and Waste-Management, Laboratory of Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany.
⁹ Biochar Engineering Technology Research Center of Guangdong Province, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China; Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China.
¹⁰ The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
¹¹ UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia. Electronic address: nanthi.bolan@uwa.edu.au.

PMID: 36739022
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161926

Abstract

Silver (Ag), a naturally occurring, rare and precious metal, is found in major minerals such as cerargyrite (AgCl), pyrargyrite (Ag₃SbS₃), proustite (Ag₃AsS₃), and stephanite (Ag₅SbS₄). From these minerals, Ag is released into soil and water through the weathering of rocks and mining activities. Silver also enters the environment by manufacturing and using Ag compounds in electroplating and photography, catalysts, medical devices, and batteries. With >400 t of Ag NPs produced yearly, Ag NPs have become a rapidly growing source of anthropogenic Ag input in the environment. In soils and natural waters, most Ag is sorbed to soil particles and sediments and precipitated as oxides, carbonates, sulphides, chlorides and hydroxides. Silver and its compounds are toxic, and humans and other animals are exposed to Ag through inhalation of air and the consumption of Ag-contaminated food and drinking water. Remediation of Ag-contaminated soil and water sources can be achieved through immobilization and mobilization processes. Immobilization of Ag in soil and groundwater reduces the bioavailability and mobility of Ag, while mobilization of Ag in the soil can facilitate its removal. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the sources, geochemistry, health hazards, remediation practices and regulatory mandates of Ag contamination in complex environmental settings, including soil and aquatic ecosystems. Knowledge gaps and future research priorities in the sustainable management of Ag contamination in these settings are also discussed.

Keywords: Risk management; Silver contamination; Soil remediation; Water pollution.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Ecosystem
Humans
Minerals
Risk Management
Silver* / toxicity
Soil / chemistry
Soil Pollutants* / analysis

Substances

Silver
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Minerals