european soil strategy soil pollution with heavy metals an overview jan japenga
TRANSCRIPT
European Soil Strategy Soil Pollution with Heavy Metals
an overview
Jan Japenga
Communication on Soils, April 2002
European Soil Strategy – Communication on Soils, 2002
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/soil/
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THEEUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection
April 2002
Main threats to soils were defined in a Communication on Soils by the EC, launching the European Soil Strategy:
European Soil Strategy – Communication on Soils, 2002
Background of the 2002 Communication on Soils
UN Convention to Combat Desertification (1998) Prevent /reduce land degradation Rehabilitate/reclaim (partly) degraded land
6th Environmental Action Programme of the European Commission (2001) Protection of soils against erosion and pollution
EU Sustainable Development Strategy (2001) Soil loss and declining fertility erode the viability of
agricultural land
European Soil Strategy – Communication on Soils, 2002
Purpose of the 2002 Communication on Soils
To build political commitment to soil protection
To turn soil protection in Europe more systematic
To describe the actual state of the soil in Europe in terms of eight defined threats to soil quality
To develop a legislative basis for soil monitoring to create a knowledge-based approach for soil protection
To initiate actions to create a comprehensive European Soil Strategy
European Soil Strategy – Communication on Soils, 2002
Positioning of the 2002 Communication on Soils
Relation with existing/developing EU-policies & regulations:
Environmental policy Nitrates Directive Water Framework Directive
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/water/water-framework/index_en.html
Waste Framework Directive etc.
The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) European Commission: Communication on Sustainable Development
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/eussd/)
Regional Policy and Structural Funds
Transport Policy
European Soil Strategy – Communication on Soils, 2002
Website link for European policy paper overviews:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs_en.htm
European Soil Strategy – Communication on Soils, 2002
Main threats cf. the 2002 Communication on Soils
Erosion
Contamination (local & diffuse)
Loss of soil organic matter
Decline of biodiversity
Compaction and other physical soil deterioration
Salinisation
Floods & landslides
Sealing
European Soil Strategy – Communication on Soils, 2002
Threats are interrelated
Salinisation Compaction
Contamination Erosion Floods and Landslides
SealingBiodiversity
SOM losses
European Soil Strategy – Main threats to European Soils
Erosion
Contamination (local & diffuse)
Loss of soil organic matter
Decline of biodiversity
Compaction and other physical soil deterioration
Salinisation
Floods & landslides
Sealing
European Soil Strategy – Main threats to European Soils
Soil Contamination
European Soil Strategy – Main threats to European Soils
Contamination
Introduction of (naturally occurring or man-made) chemicals in/onto the soil by point sources or by diffuse input sources.
Presence of contaminants in soils may cause risks of: food chain effects & adverse effects on human health
breakdown of soil buffering capacity
deteriorated ecosystem health and biodiversity losses
cross contamination to water bodies (groundwater & surface waters)
Risks may enforce or inhibit land use changes as risks vary with land use options
European Soil Strategy – Main threats to European Soils
Contamination
Local (point) sources (past & present) mining activities (mine tailings, acid mine drainage)
(past & present) industrial facilities and military sites, mainly in Eastern Europe
waste landfills
Diffuse input sources atmospheric deposition (from industry, traffic, agriculture)
soil acidification, most important in Eastern Europe
heavy metals from fertilisers & manure
pesticides (mainly historic)
waste material applications (sewage sludge, sediments)
European Soil Strategy – Main threats to European Soils
Contamination
Extent of the problem in Europe (local soil contamination)
300.000 to 1.500.000 polluted sites in Europe
3000 former military sites in Eastern Europe
high soil clean-up and polluted land management costs in some EU-countries
Netherlands: 550 MEuro and Spain 14 MEuro in 2000, which reflects a different perception of contamination severity
total expected clean-up costs in the European Union: 59.000 – 119.000 MEuro
Extent of the problem in Europe (diffuse soil contamination)
acidification causes release of heavy metals and aluminum in certain areas
radionuclides are persistent in forest areas
wide-spread soil-related water pollution (nitrogen, pesticides)
European Soil Strategy – Main threats to European Soils
Technical Working Groups
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL ENVIRONMENT Multi-stakeholder Working Group Reports
Soil Thematic Strategy
After the 2002 Communication on Soils DG Environment decided to formulate a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection.
Five “Technical Working Groups” (TWG’s) were installed:
Monitoring Erosion Organic Matter Contamination Research
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
In 2004 all TWG’s delivered their final reports:
http://forum.europa.eu.int/Public/irc/env/soil/
library?l=/reports_working&vm=detailed&sb=Title
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
Common approach for all TWG’s:
The eight threats to soils defined by the 2002 Communication on Soils
The DPSIR approach to structure problems and their solution
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
Common approach for all TWG’s:
The eight threats to soils defined by the 2002 Communication on Soils
The DPSIR approach to structure problems and their solution
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
Main threats cf. the 2002 Communication on Soils
Erosion
Contamination (local & diffuse)
Loss of soil organic matter
Decline of biodiversity
Compaction and other physical soil deterioration
Salinisation
Floods & landslides
Sealing
European Soil Strategy – Communication on Soils, 2002
Common approach for all TWG’s:
The eight threats to soils defined by the 2002 Communication on Soils
The DPSIR approach to structure problems and their solution
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
Common approach for all TWG’s:
The eight threats to soils defined by the 2002 Communication on Soils
The DPSIR approach to structure problems and their solution
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
The DPSIR approach
Driver Pressure
State Impact
Response
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups - DPSIR
Response
Driver
Impact
Pressure
State
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups - DPSIR
Response
Driver
Impact
Pressure
State
RESPONSES:
Responses can address D, P, S & I, e.g dependent on soil type /soil use and threat.
Examples for contamination:
Industrial/mining soil Agricultural soil Contaminated soil
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups - DPSIR
Response
Driver
Impact
Pressure
State
RESPONSES – industrial/mining soil ---- contamination threat
Response to impacts is extremelyexpensive
Response to drivers to avoid pressures is most adequate (input control, choice of soils, protective measures regarding pollutant accumulation)
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups - DPSIR
Response
Driver
Impact
Pressure
State
RESPONSES – agricultural soil ---- contamination threat
Response to impacts is extremelyexpensive
Response to drivers to avoid pressures is inadequate. Agiculture unavoidably puts pressures on a soil.
Response to soil state is most convenient (input = output, avoiding accumulation)
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups - DPSIR
Response
Driver
Impact
Pressure
State
RESPONSES – contaminated soil ---- contamination threat
Response to impacts (remediation, polluted land management) is expensive, but anavoidable as the soil state is already changed and already leads to impacts.
Impacts include decreased soil fertility, declining biodiversity, health risks.
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups - DPSIR
Technical Working Groups (TWG’s):
Monitoring Erosion Organic Matter Contamination Research
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
Technical Working Groups (TWG’s):
Monitoring Erosion Organic Matter Contamination Research
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
Some conclusions and policy recommendations on soil contamination
Local sources: “point source safety”, environmental liability
Diffuse inputs: need for better regulations on the use of agricultural additives
Contaminated land management: adopt the RBLM approach (“Risk Based Land Management”)
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
Technical Working Groups (TWG’s):
Monitoring Erosion Organic Matter Contamination Research
European Soil Strategy – Technical Working Groups
The European Soil Research Agenda
European Soil Strategy – The European Soil Research Agenda
EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL ENVIRONMENT Multi-stakeholder Working Group Reports
Soil Thematic Strategy
Research clusters as proposed by the TWG Research
1. Processes underlying soil functions and soil quality
2. Spatial and temporal changes of soil processes and parameters
3. Ecological, economic and social drivers of soil threats
4. Factors (“threats”) influencing soil eco-services
5. Strategies and operational procedures for soil protection
Cross-cutting and over-arching issues
European Soil Strategy – The European Soil Research Agenda
RESEARCH
HUMAN
AIR HEALTH
BIOMASS
PRODUCTION
CULTURE
SURFACE
WATER
SOILBIODIVERSITY
GROUND
WATER
Soil eco-services
European Soil Strategy – The European Soil Research Agenda
Research clusters as proposed by the TWG Research
1. Processes underlying soil functions and soil quality
2. Spatial and temporal changes of soil processes and parameters
3. Ecological, economic and social drivers of soil threats
4. Factors (“threats”) influencing soil eco-services
5. Strategies and operational procedures for soil protection
Phytoremediation
European Soil Strategy – The European Soil Research Agenda
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
The use of plants in soil remediation and polluted land management
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytoextraction
Plants extract heavy metals from the (moderately polluted) soil and the contaminated plant material is further treated
Phytostabilisation/revegetation/ecological restoration
Plants, in combination with soil treatment, are used to physically and chemically stabilise (heavily polluted soil) thus reducing the risks for humans and ecosystems
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytoextraction of heavy metals
Critical Success Factors
High heavy metal uptake rates & high biomass production
Low leaching rates to avoid groundwater pollution
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytoextraction of heavy metals
Approaches
Use of hyperaccumulators
Use of biodegradable soil additives to temporarily increase heavy metal uptake rates
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytoextraction of heavy metals
Examples
Use of Miscanthus var. for the transformation of agricultural soil into forest soil (cadmium and phosphate removal)
Use of Berkheya coddii (hyperaccumulator) to remove nickel from soils around a smelter in South Africa. Nickel returned to the smelter
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytostabilisation of heavy metals
Critical Success Factors
Low heavy metal uptake rates to avoid food-chain contamination
Low leaching rates to avoid groundwater pollution
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytostabilisation of heavy metals
Approaches
Use of a combination of vegetation and soil treatment (immobilisation of heavy metals, agonomic measures)
Perennial vegetation with good root system and low heavy metal uptake rate
Preference for local plant species (ecological restoration) or cash crops (e.g. energy crops)
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytostabilisation of heavy metals
Examples
Use of Miscanthus and Vetiver for the stabilisation of copper polluted soil in Tongling, China
Use of local species (Arabidopsis halleri) to stabilise heavy metal polluted dredged sediment in NW France
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
Phytostabilisation of heavy metals
Phytostabilisation fits into the European Soil Strategy as it is a tool which can be used in “Risk Based Land Management” in combination with socio-economic measures.
Phytoremediation of heavy metals
CONCLUSION
Phytoremediation fits very well into the European Soil Strategy and in the European Soil Research Agenda.
Phytoremediation of heavy metals