Chapter 12 - Zinc soil pollution of global contaminated sites

Abstract

The Zn soil pollution distribution and high level of global contaminated sites are widely different based on the varying strengths of anthropogenic sources and industrial activities, output, and urban development in different parts of the Earth. Pollution sources of the major industrial activities are being produced via electrical and chemical processing and smelting in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in China and India in terms of concentration level, site numbers, and size of pollution area. The concept of source-pathway-receptor of Zn soil pollution can predict the effects of Zn soil pollution on food safety and the environment, especially in terms of the risk assessment of Zn concentration in countries’ major crops and vegetables. Most countries of the world have devised regional and national legal frameworks to implement solutions for Zn-contaminated land management, for example the European Union Commission, USA and Canada, and some parts of the Asia-Pacific region. This chapter documents many pollution case studies done in developing countries on several pollution indices, including bioavailability, geo-accumulation index, threshold pollution index as single indicators for assessing Zn soil pollution status. Different science-based soil remediation technologies have been applied in the developed countries for Zn soil pollution areas. Green soil remediation (GSR) technology has been applied to evaluate the level of Zn soil pollution in Taiwan. In the future, more research must be done on developing regulatory compliance, science-based solutions, risk-based approaches, sustainable remediation technology, and land stewardship especially in the Asia-Pacific region, Latin America, and countries of Africa.