Mechanism and ecological environmental risk assessment of peroxymonosulfate for the treatment of heavy metals in soil

Sci Total Environ. 2024 May 20:926:171717. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171717. Epub 2024 Mar 13.

Abstract

Oxidation technologies based on peroxymonosulfate (PMS) have been effectively used for the remediation of soil organic pollutants due to their high efficiency. However, the effects of advanced PMS-based oxidation technologies on other soil pollutants, such as heavy metals, remain unknown. In this study, changes in the form of heavy metals in soil after using PMS and the risk of pollution to the ecological environment were investigated. Furthermore, two risk assessment methods, the mung bean germination toxicity test and groundwater leaching soil column test, were employed to evaluate the soil before and after PMS treatment. The results showed that PMS has a strong ability to degrade complex compounds, enabling the transformation of heavy metals, such as Cd, Pb, and Zn, from stable to active states in the soil. The risk assessments showed that PMS treatment activated heavy metals in the soil, which delayed the growth of plants, increased heavy metal content in plant tissues and the risk of groundwater pollution. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the effects of PMS on soil, thus facilitating the sustained and reliable development of future research in the field of advanced oxidation applied to soil treatment.

Keywords: Decomplexation ability; Heavy metal; Peroxymonosulfate; Risk assessment.

MeSH terms

  • China
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Metals, Heavy* / analysis
  • Metals, Heavy* / toxicity
  • Peroxides
  • Plants
  • Risk Assessment
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants* / analysis
  • Soil Pollutants* / toxicity

Substances

  • Soil
  • peroxymonosulfate
  • Metals, Heavy
  • Peroxides
  • Soil Pollutants