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Assessing the impact of organic and inorganic amendments on the toxicity and bioavailability of a metal-contaminated soil to the earthworm Eisenia andrei

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Abstract

Metal-contaminated soil, from the El Arteal mining district (SE Spain), was remediated with organic (6 % compost) and inorganic amendments (8 % marble sludge) to reduce the mobility of metals and to modify its potential environmental impact. Different measures of metal bioavailability (chemical analysis; survival, growth, reproduction and bioaccumulation in the earthworm Eisenia andrei), were tested in order to evaluate the efficacy of organic and inorganic amendments as immobilizing agents in reducing metal (bio)availability in the contaminated soil. The inorganic amendment reduced water and CaCl2-extractable concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Zn, while the organic amendment increased these concentrations compared to the untreated soil. The inorganic treatment did not significantly reduce toxicity for the earthworm E. andrei after 28 days exposure. The organic amendment however, made the metal-contaminated soil more toxic to the earthworms, with all earthworms dying in undiluted soil and completely inhibiting reproduction at concentrations higher than 25 %. This may be due to increased available metal concentrations and higher electrical conductivity in the compost-amended soil. No effects of organic and inorganic treatments on metal bioaccumulation in the earthworms were found and metal concentrations in the earthworms increased with increasing total soil concentrations.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the projects: CTM2009-07921 (Science and Innovation Ministry of Spain and FEDER), and P07-RNM-03303 (Andalusian Government and FEDER). The first author expresses her gratitude to the Innovation and Science Ministry of Spain, for a FPI fellowship and supported exchange visits in VU University Amsterdam. The Department of Ecological Science at VU University is thanked for the opportunity to work there and hospitality during my stay.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Area de Edafología y Química Agrícola. Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad de Almería CITEII-B, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario, ceiA3. La Cañada de San Urbano S/N, 04120, Almería, Spain

    Verónica González & Mariano Simón

  2. Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081, HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    María Díez-Ortiz & Cornelis A. M. van Gestel

  3. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (NERC), Maclean Building, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, UK

    María Díez-Ortiz

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  1. Verónica González
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  2. María Díez-Ortiz
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  3. Mariano Simón
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  4. Cornelis A. M. van Gestel
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Correspondence to Verónica González.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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González, V., Díez-Ortiz, M., Simón, M. et al. Assessing the impact of organic and inorganic amendments on the toxicity and bioavailability of a metal-contaminated soil to the earthworm Eisenia andrei . Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 8162–8171 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1773-z

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