title: Mobility and toxicity of heavy metal(loid)s arising from contaminated wood ash application to a pasture grassland soil.
abstract: Heavy metal(loid) rich ash (≤10,000 mg kg-1total As, Cr, Cu and Zn) originating from the combustion of contaminated wood was subjected to several experimental procedures involving its incorporation into an upland pasture soil. Ash was added to soil that had been prior amended with local cattle manure, replicating practices employed at the farm scale. Metal(loid) concentrations were measured in soil pore water and ryegrass grown on soil/manure plus ash mixtures (0.1-3.0% vol. ash) in a pot experiment; toxicity evaluation was performed on the same pore water samples by means of a bacterial luminescence biosensor assay. Thereafter a sequential extraction procedure was carried out on selected soil, manure and ash mixtures to elucidate the geochemical association of ash derived metal(loid)s with soil constituents. Predictive modelling was applied to selected data from the pot experiment to determine the risk of transfer of As to meat and milk products in cattle grazing pasture amended with ash. The inclusion of manure to soils receiving ash reduced phyto-toxicity and increased ryegrass biomass yields, compared to soil with ash, but without manure. Elevated As and Cu concentrations in pore water and ryegrass tissue resulting from ash additions were reduced furthest by the inclusion of manure due to an increase in their geochemical association with organic matter. Zinc was the only measured metal(loid) to remain uniformly soluble and bioavailable regardless of the addition of ash and manure. Risk modelling on pot experimental data highlighted that an ash addition of >1% (vol.) to this pasture soil could result in As concentrations in milk and meat products exceeding acceptable limits. The results of this study therefore suggest that even singular low doses of ash applied to soil increase the risk of leaching of metal(loid)s and intensify the risk of As transfer in the food chain.
authors.affiliation: University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Mollon
authors.affiliation: University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Norton
authors.affiliation: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamycka 129, 165 21, Prague 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trakal
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Agrícola, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moreno-Jimenez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Agrícola, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain; Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Sciences of Nature and Life, University of Mascara, 29000, Algeria.
authors.forename: F Z
authors.initials: FZ
authors.lastname: Elouali
authors.affiliation: The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Hough
authors.affiliation: The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK. Electronic address: luke.beesley@hutton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beesley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D018533:Biomass; D002417:Cattle; D060729:Coal Ash / Q000737:chemistry*; D065948:Grassland; D008129:Lolium / Q000254:growth & development; D008372:Manure; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D060729:Coal Ash; D008372:Manure; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Arsenic; Chromium; Heavy metal toxicity; Pore water; Risk modelling; Wood ash