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Impact of heavy metals on enzymatic activity of substrate and on composting worms Eisenia fetida
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Impact of heavy metals on enzymatic activity of substrate and on composting worms Eisenia fetida

C. Malley, J. Nair and G. Ho
Bioresource Technology, Vol.97(13), pp.1498-1502
2006
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2005.06.012
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Abstract

The effect of heavy metals Cu and Zn on dehydrogenase and protease activity of the substrate during vermicomposting was investigated. Three dosages of Cu and Zn were tested in mesocosm experiments to investigate their bioaccumulation and impact on the reproduction of Eisenia fetida. Cu accumulated within the worm tissues in dosage concentrations up to a maximum level of 213 mg Cu kg-1. The number of juveniles decreased from the lowest to highest dosages of Cu and Zn after 10 weeks of the experiment. Dehydrogenase showed a strong negative correlation (P < 0.01) with increased dosage of Cu, while protease remained unaffected. An overall reduction on dehydrogenase activity with increasing dosages of Cu and Zn indicated that these metals would impact detrimentally on the soil microbiology and consequently the stabilisation of the dosed media.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#15 Life on Land

Source: InCites

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26 Record Views
33 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

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Citation topics
3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
3.45 Soil Science
3.45.1113 Soil Fauna Dynamics
Web Of Science research areas
Agricultural Engineering
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Energy & Fuels
ESI research areas
Biology & Biochemistry
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