Geochemical properties, heavy metals and soil microbial community during revegetation process in a production Pb-Zn tailings

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2024-02, Vol.463, p.132809-132809, Article 132809
• Main Authors: Wen, Xiaocui, Zhou, Jiawei, Zheng, Siyan, Yang, Zhangwei, Lu, Zheng, Jiang, Xueqin, Zhao, Lingzhi, Yan, Bo, Yang, Xiaofan, Chen, Tao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: China; Ecological restoration; Heavy metal contamination; Lead; Lead-zinc tailings; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Microbiota; Soil - chemistry; Soil microbial community; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil remediation; Zinc - analysis
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132809

Lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) tailings pose a significant environmental threat from heavy metals (HMs) contamination. Revegetation is considered as a green path for HM remediation. However, the interplay between HM transport processes and soil microbial community in Pb-Zn tailings (especially those in production) remain unclear. This study investigated the spatial distribution of HMs as well as the crucial roles of the soil microbial community (i.e., structure, richness, and diversity) during a three-year revegetation of production Pb-Zn tailings in northern Guangdong province, China. Prolonged tailings stockpiling exacerbated Pb contamination, elevating concentrations (from 10.11 to 11.53 g/kg) in long-term weathering. However, revegetation effectively alleviated Pb, reducing its concentrations of 9.81 g/kg. Through 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the dominant genera shifted from Weissella (44%) to Thiobacillus (17%) and then to Pseudomonas (comprising 44% of the sequences) during the revegetation process. The structural equation model suggested that Pseudomonas, with its potential to transform bioavailable Pb into a more stable form, emerged as a potential Pb remediator. This study provides essential evidence of HMs contamination and microbial community dynamics during Pb-Zn tailings revegetation, contributing to the development of sustainable microbial technologies for tailings management. [Display omitted] •Pb exhibited distinctive spatial distribution characteristics within the tailings.•Soil microbial played a vital role during the revegetation of production tailings.•Key genus shifted from Weissella to Thiobacillus to Pseudomonas during revegetation.•Pseudomonas identified as the potential Pb-remediation bacteria of Pb-Zn tailings.•SEM quantitatively elucidated the responsive attributes of Pseudomonas towards Pb.