The days may be numbered for the common environmental remediation technique of adding lime to lower the acidity of soil contaminated with heavy metals.
Metals come from a variety of sources, including agriculture, industry and vehicles.
When these metals get incorporated in the soil, they can become fairly mobile and be taken up by plants through their roots. Environmental remediation of such areas is often necessary, and with scientific input it can be done in a way that promotes long-term soil conservation, Dr. Adriano says. S.C. Depending on the results of environmental risk assessements, officials in charge of cleaning up contaminated soil have several options, Dr. Adriano says. One is planting vegetation that is less likely to take up contaminants. Through selective breeding of plant species, scientists can create varieties of corn, for example, that are more metal tolerant, Dr. Adriano says.