title: Exoenzyme activity in contaminated soils before and after soil washing: ß-glucosidase activity as a biological indicator of soil health.
abstract: It is essential to remediate or amend soils contaminated with various heavy metals or pollutants so that the soils may be used again safely. Verifying that the remediated or amended soils meet soil quality standards is an important part of the process. We estimated the activity levels of eight soil exoenzymes (acid phosphatase, arylsulfatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, protease, urease, and ß-glucosidase) in contaminated and remediated soils from two sites near a non-ferrous metal smelter, using colorimetric and titrimetric determination methods. Our results provided the levels of activity of soil exoenzymes that indicate soil health. Most enzymes showed lower activity levels in remediated soils than in contaminated soils, with the exception of protease and urease, which showed higher activity after remediation in some soils, perhaps due to the limited nutrients available in remediated soils. Soil exoenzymes showed significantly higher activity in soils from one of the sites than from the other, due to improper conditions at the second site, including high pH, poor nutrient levels, and a high proportion of sand in the latter soil. Principal component analysis revealed that ß-glucosidase was the best indicator of soil ecosystem health, among the enzymes evaluated. We recommend using ß-glucosidase enzyme activity as a prior indicator in estimating soil ecosystem health.
authors: Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
authors: Yooeun
authors: Y
authors: Chae
authors: Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
authors: Rongxue
authors: R
authors: Cui
authors: Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
authors: Shin
authors: S
authors: Woong Kim
authors: Department of Environmental Engineering, Kunsan National University, Kunsan 54150, Republic of Korea.
authors: Gyeonghyeon
authors: G
authors: An
authors: Department of Environmental Engineering, Kunsan National University, Kunsan 54150, Republic of Korea.
authors: Seung-Woo
authors: SW
authors: Jeong
authors: Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: anyjoo@konkuk.ac.kr.
authors: Youn-Joo
authors: YJ
authors: An
mesh_terms: D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000032:analysis; D001192:Arylsulfatases / Q000032:analysis; D002374:Catalase / Q000032:analysis; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D004798:Enzymes / Q000032:analysis*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006867:Hydrolases / Q000032:analysis; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000032:analysis; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000032:analysis; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014510:Urease / Q000032:analysis; D001617:beta-Glucosidase / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D002374:Catalase; D006867:Hydrolases; D000135:Acid Phosphatase; D001192:Arylsulfatases; D001617:beta-Glucosidase; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D014510:Urease
keywords: Acid washing; Contamination; Heavy metal; PCA; Remediation; Soil exoenzyme