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  • Converting wasteland into wonderland by earthworms - a low-cost nature's technology for soil remediation: a case study of vermiremediation of PAHs contaminated soil

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    Author(s)
    Sinha, Rajiv
    Bharambe, Gokul
    Ryan, David
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Sinha, Rajiv K.
    Ryan, David
    Bharambe, Gokul R.
    Year published
    2008
    Metadata
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    Abstract
    Earthworms in general are tolerant to many chemical contaminants including heavy metals and organic pollutants in soil and can bio-accumulate them in their tissues. Earthworms species like Eisenia fetida, Eisenia tetraedra, Lumbricus terrestris, Lumbricus rubellus and Allobophora chlorotica have been found to remove heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Hg, etc.) pesticides and lipophilic organic micropollutants like the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from the soil. They 'absorb' the dissolved chemicals through the moist 'body wall' in the interstitial water and also 'ingest' by mouth while the soil passes through the gut. They ...
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    Earthworms in general are tolerant to many chemical contaminants including heavy metals and organic pollutants in soil and can bio-accumulate them in their tissues. Earthworms species like Eisenia fetida, Eisenia tetraedra, Lumbricus terrestris, Lumbricus rubellus and Allobophora chlorotica have been found to remove heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Hg, etc.) pesticides and lipophilic organic micropollutants like the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from the soil. They 'absorb' the dissolved chemicals through the moist 'body wall' in the interstitial water and also 'ingest' by mouth while the soil passes through the gut. They either 'bio-transform' or 'biodegrade' the chemical contaminants rendering them harmless in their bodies. Meanwhile the quality of the soil is improved significantly in terms of physical, chemical and biological properties as the worms thoroughly upturn and disperse the soil, ingest large volumes of soil and excrete nutritive materials (NKP and micronutrients) in the form of 'vermicasts' along with millions of beneficial soil microbes including nitrogen fixers.
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    Journal Title
    The environmentalist: the international journal for all environmental professionals
    Volume
    28
    Issue
    4
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-008-9171-7
    Copyright Statement
    © 2008 Springer Netherlands. This is an electronic version of an article published in The Environmentalist, Volume 28, Number 4, 466-475. The Environmentalist is available online at: http://www.springerlink.com/ with the open URL of your article.
    Subject
    Environmental Sciences
    Studies in Human Society
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/23487
    Collection
    • Journal articles

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