Official statistics show that over 16 percent of Chinese soil is contaminated. (Photo: China News Service)
A Chinese research team has successfully developed a new nano material to address heavy metal pollution in soil.
The new material - which has been formulated by scientists from Hefei Institute of Physical Science; a subordinate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences - is highly effective in extracting and converting harmful heavy metal ions in acid soil, Xinhua News Agency reported.
About 30 percent of non-frozen land in the world is acid soil, which often has reduced agricultural output and heavy metal contamination.
Professor Wu Zhengyan, member of the research team, claimed that the material reformulated from clay and biochar can raise the pH of the acid soil to a neutral level of 7.0.
Acidic soil generally has a pH range of between 6.1 and 6.5. And around 16 percent of land surveyed in China is polluted by heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury, according to figures from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Land and Resources.
The implementation of the formula - which can be manipulated into a host of forms including powder, liquid and grain - can be directly integrated into the planting process and costs between US$1.50 and $4.40 per acre. (gbtimes)
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