Simultaneous removal of arsenic and toxic metals from contaminated soil : laboratory development and pilot scale demonstration

Morales Arteaga, Juan Francisco (author), Gluhar, Simon (author), Kaurin, Anela (author), Leštan, Domen (author)

Soil chemistry of toxic metalloids and metals differs, making their simultaneous removal difficult. Soil contaminated with As, Pb, Zn and Cd was washed with oxalic acid, Na-dithionite and EDTA solution. Toxic elements were removed from the washing solution by alkalinisation with CaO to a pH 12.5: As was co-precipitated with Fe from Fe-EDTA chelate formed after the soil washing. The toxic metals precipitated after substitution of their EDTA chelates with Ca. The novel method was scaled up on the ReSoil® platform. On average, 60, 76, 29, and 53% of As, Pb, Zn, and Cd were removed, no wastewater was generated and EDTA was recycled. Addition of zero-valent iron reduced the toxic elements’ leachability. Remediation was most effective for As: phytoaccessibility (CaCl$_2$ extraction), mobility (NH$_4$NO$_3$), and accessibility from human gastric and gastrointestinal phases were reduced 22, 104, 6, and 51 times, respectively. Remediation increased pH but had no effect on soil functioning assessed by fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase activities. Brassica napus produced 1.9 times more biomass on remediated soil, accumulated no As and 5.0, 2.6, and 9.0 times less Pb, Zn and Cd, respectively. We demonstrated the novel remediation technology as cost-efficient (material cost = 41.86 € t$^{−1}$) and sustainable.

• Language: English
• Keywords: heavy metals, soil washing, hazard mitigation, soil functioning, sustainable remediation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 294, art. 118656
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-138851
• UDC: 502/504
• ISSN on article: 0269-7491
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118656
• COBISS.SI-ID: 88795907
• Publication date in RUL: 23.08.2022

MORALES ARTEAGA, Juan Francisco, GLUHAR, Simon, KAURIN, Anela and LEŠTAN, Domen, 2022, Simultaneous removal of arsenic and toxic metals from contaminated soil : laboratory development and pilot scale demonstration. Environmental pollution [online]. 2022. Vol. 294, no. 118656. [Accessed 26 April 2025]. DOI 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118656. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=138851

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Environmental pollution
• Shortened title: Environ. pollut.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0269-7491
• COBISS.SI-ID: 25405184

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: toksični elementi, remediacija tal, čiščenje tal, težke kovine, pranje tal, trajnostna sanacija, sanacija tal

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Funding programme: H2020
• Project number: 776838
• Name: POlluted SIte DecontaminatiON - PCP
• Acronym: POSIDON