Soil characteristics and soil

pollution
Prof. Xuyin Yuan
College of Environment

Outline
Major characteristics of soils
Sources of soil pollutants
Environmental and ecological effects of soil
pollution
Risk assessment of soil pollution
Prevention and remediation of soil pollution

Major characteristics of soils

Soil formation
Soil compositions
Soil properties

Soil formation
Soil has two important functions. One is a precious
source, which can be used as an agricultural basis
for food production. The other is a substance with
the assimilation and metabolism ability.
The weathering process makes rocks break up and
the broken rocks form structural loose matter,
which is defined as parent matter. The parent
matter undergoes climate changes, biological action
and other physiochemical actions to form soils .

Brown soil profile

Podzolic soil profile Red soil profile

Yellow soil profile

Soil compositions

Soil minerals
Soil organic matter
Soil water
Soil air
Insects
Microorganism
Plant litter

Chemical compositions of soil minerals

O
Si
Al
Fe
Ca
Na
K

47.2
33.0
8.8
5.1
3.6
2.64
2.6

49.0
27.6
7.13
3.8
1.37
0.63
1.36

Mg
S
Mn
P
N
Cu
Zn

2.1
0.09
0.09
0.08
0.01
0.01
0.005

0.6
0.085
0.085
0.08
0.1
0.002
0.005

Soil organic matter

Soil organic matter is comprised of plant root,
stalk , leaf, soil animal body and organic fertilizer.
Humus is dominated in soil organic matter ,
which includes the plant and animal residual,
humic acid and fulvic acid.
Humus has strong adsorptive ability, buffer
ability and complexing ability, which take
significant effects on soil structure, soil
properties and soil quality.

Soil water and soil air

Soil water originates from atmospheric
precipitation, snow and surface runoff, and
sometime from groundwater.
Soil air exists the pore without water, which
reveals less proportion oxygen, more proportion
CO2 compared to atmospheric air. Soil air is also
comprised of CH4, H2S,H2 and NOx.

Soil particle composition

0.05-1mm

>70
60-70
50-60
>20
<20
>20
<20
>50
-

0.001-0.05mm

<0.001mm

<30

>40
<40

>30

30-35
35-40
>40

Soil Texture Terminology Refects

Paricle Size Not Mineralogy

Sources of soil
pollutants

Pollutants in soils mainly come from industrial

emissions, fertilizer, pesticides, urban sewage, waste.

Soil
pollutants

Industrial source

Industrial discharge, Wastewater irrigation

Transport source

Tail gas

Agricultural source

Pesticides, fertilizer, agricultural waste

Domestic source

Household garbage, domestic sewage

Classification of soil pollutants

Inorganic Heavy metals, nonmetals, radioative
pollutants elements, inorganic acids and alkalis.
Organic
pollutants

Pesticides, antibiotics,
hydrocarbon compounds, phenols

Harmful
Polluted microorganism, pathogenic
microorganism bacteria

Environmental and ecological

effects of soil pollution

Harmfulness of soil pollution

Reduction of crop production

Decline in food quality
Health hazard of human being through food web
Other environmental issues(Atmospheric quality,
surface water quality, groundwater quality, ecological
degeneration)

Some guidelines of heavy metals for non-pollution

vegetables in China(maximum residue limit)

Degeneration of soil quality

Soils, Agriculture and Desertification

1. Soil degradation is mainly caused by agricultural
plowing breaking up soil structure and increasing
erosion rates.
2. Deterioration of soil quality can lead to desertification.
3. Destruction of rainforests leads to release of soil
organic carbon as atmospheric carbon dioxide.
4. Over-pumping of groundwater for irrigation depletes
this resource and causes subsidence.
5. Farming methods, such as drip irrigation and
minimum tillage planting, can lead to less water usage
and soil conservation.

Soil Degradation Varies

Around the World

Soil Erosion
Soilparticlessizesarecarriedrelativelyeasilybystreams.
Vegetation,especiallyrootstructures,holdsoilstogether.
Cuttingdownnaturalvegetation(e.g.,treestoclearlandfor
farmingincreaseserosionrates).
Plowingofsoilsfurtherbreaksupsoilsallowingerosion.
Irrigationcanenhancenormalerosionrates.

Loss of vegetation leads to decreased stability

Excess erosion caused by agricultural runoff

Central Valley, CA

Desertification
Extended periods of drought can lead to
desertification.
Over-grazing by cattle and sheep can also
destroy existing vegetation and decrease
soil quality.
Over-cropping, planting too many times
per season, in semi-arid land can turn
them into arid lands.

Desertification of farmland
Danakil Depression, Egypt

Extent sub-Saharan desertification

Barren Fields Buried Under

Windblown Soil

Deforestation of Amazonian rainforest

near
Maraba, Brazil

Risk assessment of soil pollution

Environmental risk of soil pollution

Risks related to one soil pollutant

Ecotoxicological risks
Biological availability
Combination effects

Environmental risk assessment of soil

pollution

Ecological risk assessment of soil

pollution

Remediation of polluted soils

Classification of remediation techniques for

polluted soils
In-situ remediation
Based on
restoration site

In-situ treatment
Ex-situ
remediation
Ex-situ treatment
Physical
technique

Based on
restoration
principle

Chemical
technique
Microorganism
technique
Phytoremediatio
n technique

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Hyperaccumulation plantsof heavy

metals
1)Strong tolerance to high level heavy metals
2)Accumulating high concentrations of heavy
metals
3)Fast growth ratio
4) Higher biomass
5) Well developed root system

Species of hyperaccumulation plants

Chemical washing remediation of

polluted soils
Injecting the leacheate into contaminated
soils and dissolving pollutants like heavy
metals. Then extracting the liquids with
pollutants from soils.

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Remediation of organic pollutants in

soils

Microorganism remediation of organic

pollutants in soils
Microorganism degradation of petroleum pollutants
Microorganism degradation of pesticides
Microorganism degradation of polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon
Microorganism degradation of pentachlorophenol

Bioremediation
Phytoremediation of organic pollutants
Combined remediation of plant and microorganism
for organic pollutants

Other remediation techniques

In-situ washing technique

In-situ soil vapor extraction technique
Photochemical degradation technique
In-situ covering technique

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Contour
Plowing/Planting
Impedes Water Flow

Terracing Creates
Steps of
Shallower Slope

That is all for this lecture

Thankyouforyourattention