Biogeodynamics of Pollutants in Soils and Sediments: Risk Assessment of Delayed and Non-Linear Responses (Environmental Science and Engineering)

In the USA, Western and Central Europe, there are many large-scale polluted sites that are too large to be cleaned up economically with available technologies. The pollution is caused by mining activities, smelters and other heavy industries, not only to soils, but also to sediments in waterways and reservoirs. New sites are also being created with little concern for environmental protection. Since these areas are expected to remain polluted for many years, it is necessary to take a long-term view to insure that the capacity to retain the contaminants is not diminished and to understand the potential for large-scale contaminant mobilization at these sites triggered by changing environmental conditions. Therefore, the soil-sediment system as a dynamic entity can be described as biogeodynamics, since a full understanding of long-term changes requires the combination of the "geo" and "bio" sciences. This book provides information for predicting long-term changes and making risk assessments and describes the approach of geochemical engineering to handling large-scale polluted sites. Front Matter....Pages I-XIV Long-term Strategies for Handling Contaminated Sites and Large-scale Areas....Pages 1-30 Microbiology of Soil and Sediments....Pages 31-52 Heavy Metal Retention by Soil Organic Matter under Changing Environmental Conditions....Pages 53-85 Mobilization of Heavy Metals as Affected by pH and Redox Conditions....Pages 87-102 Erosion and Transport of Pollutants from the Terrestrial to the Aquatic Environment....Pages 103-121 Long-term Fate of Pesticides in Soil....Pages 123-133 Regional Differences in Potentials for Delayed Mobilization of Chemicals in Europe....Pages 135-169 Capacity Controlling Parameters and Their Impact on Metal Toxicity in Soil Invertebrates....Pages 171-192 Acidification and its Long-term Impact on Metal Mobility....Pages 193-212 Mercury and the New Gold Rush in the South....Pages 213-245 Non-linear Release of Metals from Aquatic Sediments....Pages 247-307 How to Manage Accumulated Contaminants....Pages 309-329 Global Perspectives and Risk Assessment....Pages 331-343 Back Matter....Pages 345-353 In the USA, Western and Central Europe, there are many large-scale polluted sites that are too large to be cleaned up economically with available technologies. The pollution is caused by heavy industries to soils and sediments in waterways and reservoirs. Since these areas are expected to remain polluted for many years, it is necessary to take a long-term view to insure that the capacity to retain the contaminants is not diminished and to understand the potential for large-scale contaminant mobilization at these sites triggered by changing environmental conditions. This book provides information for predicting long-term changes and making risk assessments and describes the approach of geochemical engineering to handling large-scale polluted sites.