2014 : USING EXTRACELLULAR POLYMERIC SUBSTANCES FROM ACTIVATED SLUDGE FOR REMEDIATION OF METAL CONTAMINATED SOIL

Prof. Dr. Ir. Sarwoko Mangkoedihardjo MScES

Abstract

The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the use of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) to remediate heavy metal contaminated soil. The main concern with heavy metal contaminated soil was their toxicity and tendency to accumulate throughout the food chain that can leads to serious ecological and health problems. Metal in soil was persistent and its mobility was retarded by adsorption to the soil particle. The cationic metal was sorbed strongly to soils and therefore was very difficult to remove. Many technologies were currently used to clean up heavy metal contaminated soils such as soil removal and land filling, stabilization or solidification, physico-chemical extraction and soil washing. However, EPS was considered to bind metal, causing desorption of metal that could be solved by bioremediation and phytoremediation processes.