Chapter Outline: Restoration of Metal(loid)-Contaminated Soils

 

Proposed title:  Restoration of Metal(loid)-Contaminated Soils        Chapter no.: ____________

 

Chapter outline revised 4-27-2013 (originally posted 8-24-2012)

Authors:  Timberley Roane (PhD) and Munira Lantz (MS)

               Department of Integrative Biology
               Campus Box 171, P.O. Box 173364
               University of Colorado Denver
               Denver, CO 80217-3364
               Ph. (303) 556-6592
               E-mail  Timberley.Roane@ucdenver.edu

Proposed topics:

I.  Introduction

A.  History of the use of microorganisms in the remediation of metal-contaminated soils

II.  Metal toxicity in soils

               A.  Metal toxicity and bioavailability

               B. Environmental factors influencing metal bioavailability
                              1)  Physicochemical interactions
                              2)  Physical interactions
               C.  Microbial indicators of toxicity

III.  Remediating soils: the challenges
               A.  Metal transport
               B.  Soil heterogeneity

IV.  Microbial interactions with metals

               A.  Metal toxicity to microbial systems (cellular, population, community impacts)
                              1)  Diversity changes over time
                              2)  Free-loader populations
                              3)  Elemental cycling

               B.  Microbially facilitated metal transformations

                              1)  Single metal resistance mechanisms

                              2)  Multi-metal resistance mechanisms

               C.  Metal interactions at the population level and the community level

               D.  Prevalence of metal transforming populations

V.  Case studies: use of microorganisms in metal remediation

               A.  Volatilization

               B.  Wetland approaches

               C.  Surfactants

               D.  Manure addition

               E.  Use of microorganisms in phytoremediation

VI.  New frontiers: use of “omics” and restoration of microbial function

               A.  Bioindicators
               B.  Functional characterization and replacement

1) functional redundancy and the superorganism