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Remediation of Mercury-Polluted Farmland Soils: A Review

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Abstract

Mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in Hg-polluted farmlands poses high health risk for humans and wildlife, and remediation work is urgently needed. Here, we first summarize some specific findings related to the environmental process of Hg in Hg-polluted farmlands, and distinguish the main achievements and deficiencies of available remediation strategies in recent studies. Results demonstrate that farmland is a sensitive area with vibrant Hg biogeochemistry. Current remediation methods are relatively hysteretic whether in mechanism understanding or field application, and deficient for large-scale Hg-polluted farmlands in view of safety, efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. New perspectives including environment-friendly functional materials, assisted phytoremediation and agronomic regulations are worthy of further study as their key roles in reducing Hg exposure risk and protecting agricultural sustainability.

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Acknowledgements

This work was sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1612442, 42007305, 41763017, 22166009), Science and Technology Project of Guizhou Province (QKHJC[2020]1Y187; QKHZC[2020]4Y031) and Fund for Newly-enrolled Talent of Guizhou University (Guidarenjihezi (2019)64). We would also thank Professor Yongmin Wang for grammar corrections.

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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Funding for open access charge: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela/CISUG. All data generated or analysed during this study is included in this published article.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Karst Georesources and Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China

    Deliang Yin, Xian Zhou, Tianrong He, Pan Wu & Shu Ran

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  1. Deliang Yin
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  2. Xian Zhou
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  3. Tianrong He
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Correspondence to Pan Wu.

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Yin, D., Zhou, X., He, T. et al. Remediation of Mercury-Polluted Farmland Soils: A Review. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 109, 661–670 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-022-03544-0

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