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Soil sterilisation methods for use in OECD 106: How effective are they?
Katherine Lees1, Mark Fitzsimons1, Jason Snape2
1Biogeochemistry Research Group, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK.
Chemosphere
|June 19, 2018
Summary
Sterilizing soils for chemical risk assessments is crucial. Gamma irradiation minimally impacted soil properties, making it the preferred method over autoclaving or sodium azide, though microbial activity must still be monitored.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Soil Science
- Chemical Risk Assessment
Background:
- Differentiating abiotic and biotic processes is vital for chemical risk assessments.
- Sterile conditions are necessary to isolate abiotic chemical loss (e.g., sorption, precipitation).
- Soil matrix integrity is critical for representative testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of different soil sterilization methods.
- To assess the impact of sterilization on key soil physico-chemical properties.
- To determine the most suitable method for preparing soils for sorption-desorption experiments.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of sodium azide, autoclaving, and gamma irradiation for soil sterilization.
- Laboratory experiments conducted on three distinct soil types.
- Analysis of changes in soil structure, pH, and organic carbon partitioning potential post-treatment.
Main Results:
- No tested method achieved complete soil sterilization.
- Autoclaving significantly altered soil structure, impacting sorption behavior.
- Sodium azide treatment caused a notable pH shift in loam soil.
- Gamma irradiation demonstrated the least disruption to soil physico-chemical properties.
Conclusions:
- Gamma irradiation is the most suitable method for sterilizing soils for sorption-desorption studies, with minimal matrix alteration.
- Careful monitoring is required to ensure microbial inactivation or quantification with gamma irradiation.
- Soil-specific responses to sterilization necessitate a case-by-case evaluation.
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