Chemical Speciation and Bioavailability 

About: Chemical Speciation and Bioavailability is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Soil water & Cadmium. It has an ISSN identifier of 0954-2299. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 591 publications have been published receiving 9011 citations.

Factors influencing metal bioavailability in soils: preliminary investigations for the development of a critical loads approach for metals

Abstract: The concept of critical loads, previously applied to acidifying substances, is currently being extended, within the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), to several metals: Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn. Receptors in the soil, such as plants and microbiota, are directly exposed to these metals via the soil solution and this should ideally be reflected in environmental quality objectives which, presently, are commonly based on ‘total’ rather than bioavailable metal contents of soils. An understanding of the factors influencing the partition of metals between the solid and solution phases of soils is an essential prerequisite of any attempt to apply the critical loads approach in a manner which relates to the effects of metals on soil organisms.

Investigation of heavy metal mobility and availability by the BCR sequential extraction procedure: relationship between soil properties and heavy metals availability

Abstract: In this study, surface soil and corn cob samples were collected from 15 different agricultural fields of Canakkale, Turkey. These samples were analysed to determine the concentration of Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. BCR sequential extraction was used to extract the binding forms of the metals in the soil samples. At the same time, a wet digestion method was used to determine the total concentration of heavy metals in soil and corn grain samples. The metal concentrations in the extracted phase were measured with flame atomic absorption spectrometer. The accuracy of the methods was confirmed by using BCR-701 and SRM-1570a certified reference materials. The results revealed that the quantity of the mobile fractions (i.e., acid soluble, reducible, and oxidisable) of the Mn, Cd and Pb were higher than that of the immobile fractions (residual). This might be caused by the anthropogenic sources. Pearson’s correlation was applied to determine the correlations between the selected physicochemical properties o...

Physiological responses of plants to heavy metals and the quantification of tolerance and toxicity

Abstract: Techniques available for assessing the tolerance of plants to heavy metal toxins are reviewed. All are based on physiological responses and range from long-term growth trials in metal-contaminated substrates, to rapid cytological tests. Problems associated with the ecophysiological interpretation of in vitro measurements of tolerance are considered. The implications of multiple tolerance, co-tolerance, constitutional tolerance, inducible tolerance and possible stimulatory effects of metals on plant responses are discussed.

Application of geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor for assessing metal contamination in the sediments of Hara Biosphere Reserve, Iran

Abstract: Surface sediments from the Hara Biosphere Reserve of the Persian Gulf were collected to evaluate the contamination of metals including Pb, Cd, Ni and Fe. The sediment samples were subjected to a to...

Bioavailability of heavy metals bound to estuarine sediments as a function of pH and salinity values

Abstract: The role of two key-variables such as pH and salinity in chemical speciation and bioavailability of heavy metals originated by mining activities bound to sediments was evaluated under estuarine con...