Precipitation of secondary phases of iron and its role in controlling the mobility of potentially toxic elements in soil

  • PDF / 4,639,695 Bytes
  • 20 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
  • 33 Downloads / 225 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT


SOILS, SEC 3 • REMEDIATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CONTAMINATED OR DEGRADED LANDS • RESEARCH ARTICLE

Precipitation of secondary phases of iron and its role in controlling the mobility of potentially toxic elements in soils in a semiarid river basin in Northwest Mexico F. R. A. Ziegler-Rivera 1 & B. Prado 2,3 & A. Robles-Morua 3,4 & L. Mora 2,3 & L. Méndez-Barroso 3,4 & D. Archundia 5 & J. Marquez 6 & L. Caballero 2 & E. Morales 2 Received: 19 July 2019 / Accepted: 2 July 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020

Abstract Purpose Soils have the ability to retain potentially toxic elements (PTEs) through different chemical processes that promote low mobility of these elements, such as the precipitation of secondary phases of Fe, which facilitate the adsorption/co-precipitation of PTEs. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the mobility of PTEs present in an acid solution in two soils with different concentrations of calcite, understanding the role of secondary iron phases in the retention of these elements. Materials and methods To evaluate this phenomenon, intact soil columns of two different types of soils from the Sonora River in Northwest Mexico were exposed to an acid solution with high concentration of dissolved PTEs (mainly Fe, Al, and Cu). Results and discussion The Tinajas soil was free of carbonates while the Bacanuchi soil had more carbonate content than the Tinajas soil. Secondary precipitates corresponding to secondary phases of iron (mainly ferrihydrite and jarosite) were identified by X-ray diffraction. Using scanning electron microscopy, the PTEs retained in the soils were identified. The presence of calcite favored the neutral pH values in the collected leachates in the Bacanuchi soil; consequently, the mobility of the PTEs present in the acid solution was nullified. Furthermore, this process facilitated the retention of the toxic elements in the Bacanuchi soil. Conclusions The retention of PTEs was 100% in the Bacanuchi soil where the natural acid-neutralizing capacity in this soil was associated with calcite. The formation of secondary phases of Fe, among them ferrihydrite, jarosite, and schwertmannite, mainly in Bacanuchi soil, promoted the retention of Al, As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Pb (elements analyzed in this work). Results of this work can provide key insights to improve cleanup and conservation strategies in mining sites. Keywords Potentially toxic elements . acid solution . secondary precipitates . soil retention . calcite

Responsible editor: Jianming Xue Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02709-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * B. Prado [email protected] 1

Posgrado en Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

2

Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

3

Laboratorio Nacional de Geoquímica y Mineralogía, LANGEM, Mexico City, Mexico

4

Departamento de Cienc