A Review: Toxicity Effects and Influence Factors of the Nanomaterials Used in Stabilizing/Immobilizing Heavy Metals in Soils

Abstract

Nanomaterials (NMs), especially those applied for the remediation of mild heavy metalcontaminated soils (HMCS), may have potential ecological risks due to they are used in large quantities and may interact with the original heavy metals (HMs) in soils, resulting in more complex toxicological effects. This paper briefly summarizes the current status of toxicological studies on the effects of NMs on plant, soil enzyme activity and soil animals, and concludes the main factors that affect their toxicity when they applied in remediation of HMCS, including effects of nanoparticles (NPs) chemical compositions, morphologies, sizes and surface properties, effects of the interaction between HMs and NPs and effects of NPs transport and transformation abilities in different soils. A critical view in this paper is that before using NMs for environmental pollution control, further ecological risk assessments are warranted. This review can provide reference for future research on the behavior and toxicity of NMs in soils, especially for those studies on the application of NMs in the remediation of HMCS.