Influence of selected mineral material on the water solubility and leachability of heavy metals from contaminated soil
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Influence of selected mineral material on the water solubility and leachability of heavy metals from contaminated soil Muhammad Irshad 1 & Sardar Owais Mukhtar 1 Received: 3 April 2020 / Accepted: 6 October 2020 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2020
Abstract Heavy metal pollution in soils is currently a critical environmental issue. Soil amendments can reduce the availability of contaminants and retard their offsite movement by water. A study was conducted to reduce the water solubility and leachability of heavy metals (HM) (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and copper (Cu)) from polluted soil using various ground natural materials, namely slate, gypsum, lime, shale, and clay. Polluted soil samples were collected from Hattar Industrial areas of Haripur, Pakistan, noted for metal contamination. Mineral amendments were applied to those soil samples at the rate of 2.5 and 5% along with the control (no amendment). Results showed that the amendment material apparently reduced the solubilization of heavy metals (p < 0.05). The heavy metal concentrations in the soil were in the order Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd > Cu. After 10 days of incubation, the Cd concentration was reduced on average by the mineral amendment, but the reduction varied in the order slate > clay > lime > shale > gypsum. These materials were also differed for Pb (at p < 0.05), the reduction was in the order shale > lime > clay > slate > gypsum, and for Ni as the order was slate > clay > gypsum > shale > lime. Chromium and Cu were reduced similarly. Reduction in the metal solubility was highly related to the application rate of material. The leachability of trace elements from soil was also a function of amendment and the material differed for heavy metals during the leaching process. This research indicates that mineral material may act as an adsorbent for the metal contaminant and thus reduces their leachability from soils. Moreover, the availability of heavy metals in contaminated soils can be reduced by using mineral amendment. Keywords Mineral amendments . Heavy metals . Solubilization . Leachability . Polluted soils . Arid region
Introduction Water scarcity and mismanagement of freshwater resources in Pakistan have led to extensive use of wastewater irrigation (Maria et al. 2020). Long-term wastewater irrigation could result in the accumulation and bio-magnification of metal which cause potential health hazards (Christou et al. 2017). Contamination of heavy metals in soil reduces the quality of food, health of soil, and environment. The development of technologies to decontaminate heavy metals in soils have been suggested (Gray et al. 2006). It has been generally accepted that trace metals can Responsible Editor: Haroun Chenchouni * Muhammad Irshad [email protected] 1
Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan
accumulate in plants from soil water and therefore pollute the food chain. Heavy metal ions in the soil environment negatively affect the health o
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