Migration and distribution characteristics of soil heavy metal(loid)s at a lead smelting site

Heavy metal(loid)s contamination is a constant issue at smelting sites.It is essential to investigate the spatial distribution and migration characteristics of heavy metal(loid)s in the soil for environmental management and remediation strategies of non-ferrous smelting sites.In this study,203 soil samples from 57 sites were collected in a typical lead smelting site.The findings demonstrated that there were significant Pb,Zn,Cd,and As contamination in soil samples.The spatial distribution of heavy metal(loid)s showed strong spatial heterogeneity,the contaminated soil areas of Pb,As,Cd,and Zn were 99.5%,98.9%,85.3%,and 72.4%,respectively.Pb,Cd,and As contamination of the soil reached a depth of 5 m,which migrated from the surface to deep soil layers.The leaching contents of Zn,Pb,and As decreased obviously in 3-4 m soil layer,but the leaching content of Cd was still high,which indicated the high migration of Cd.With the increase of depth,the proportion of acid soluble fraction of heavy metal(loid)s decreased,and the residual fraction increased.The acid soluble fraction of Cd accounted for a higher proportion,and As mainly existed in reducible and residual fractions in soil.According to the calculation of the migration factor,the migration of heavy metal(loid)s in soils were ordered as Cd>Zn>Pb>As.The outcomes are advantageous for risk reduction and site remediation for non-ferrous metal smelting sites.

Geochemical fractionation and potential release behaviour of heavy metals in lead–zinc smelting soils

The lack of understanding of heavy metal speciation and solubility control mechanisms in smelting soils limits the effective pollution control.In this study smelting soils were investigated by an advanced mineralogical analysis(AMICS),leaching tests and thermodynamic modelling.The aims were to identify the partitioning and release behaviour of Pb,Zn,Cd and As.The integration of multiple techniques was necessary and displayed coherent results.In addition to the residual fraction,Pb and Zn were predominantly associated with reducible fractions,and As primarily existed as the crystalline iron oxide-bound fractions.AMICS quantitative analysis further confirmed that Fe oxyhydroxides were the common dominant phase for As,Cd,Pb and Zn.In addition,a metal arsenate(paulmooreite)was an important mineral host for Pb and As.The pH-stat leaching indicted that the release of Pb,Zn and Cd increased towards low pH values while release of As increased towards high p H values.The separate leaching schemes were associated with the geochemical behaviour under the control of minerals and were confirmed by thermodynamic modelling.PHREEQC calculations suggested that the formation of arsenate minerals(schultenite,mimetite and koritnigite)and the binding to Fe oxyhydroxides synchronously controlled the release of Pb,Zn,Cd and As.Our results emphasized the governing role of Fe oxyhydroxides and secondary insoluble minerals in natural attenuation of heavy metals,which provides a novelty strategy for the stabilization of multi-metals in smelting sites.

Soil heavy metal pollution from Pb/Zn smelting regions in China and the remediation potential of biomineralization

Smelting activities pose serious environmental problems due to the local and regional heavy metal pollution in soils they cause. It is therefore important to understand the pollution situation and its source in the contaminated soils. In this paper, data on heavy metal pollution in soils resulting from Pb/Zn smelting(published in the last 10 years) in China was summarized. The heavy metal pollution was analyzed from a macroscopic point of view. The results indicated that Pb, Zn, As and Cd were common contaminants that were present in soils with extremely high concentrations. Because of the extreme carcinogenicity, genotoxicity and neurotoxicity that heavy metals pose, remediation of the soils contaminated by smelting is urgently required. The primary anthropogenic activities contributing to soil pollution in smelting areas and the progressive development of accurate source identification were performed. Due to the advantages of biominerals, the potential of biomineralization for heavy metal contaminated soils was introduced. Furthermore, the prospects of geochemical fraction analysis, combined source identification methods as well as several optimization methods for biomineralization are presented, to provide a reference for pollution investigation and remediation in smelting contaminated soils in the future.

Remediation of arsenic-contaminated paddy field by a new iron oxidizing strain(Ochrobactrum sp.)and iron-modified biochar

Iron-oxidizing strain(FeOB)and iron modified biochars have been shown arsenic(As)reme-diation ability in the environment.However,due to the complicated soil environment,few field experiment has been conducted.The study was conducted to investigate the potential of iron modified biochar(BC-FeOS)and biomineralization by a new found FeOB to remediate As-contaminated paddy field.Compared with the control,the As contents of G_(B)(BC-FeOS),G_(F)(FeOB),G_(FN)(FeOB and nitrogen fertilizer),G_(BF)(BC-FeOS and FeOB)and G_(BFN)(BC-FeOS,FeOB and nitrogen fertilizer)treatments in pore water decreased by 36.53%-80.03%and the microbial richness of iron-oxidizing bacteria in these treatments increased in soils at the rice maturation stage.The concentrations of available As of G_(B),G_(F),G_(FN),G_(BF) and G_(BFN) at the tillering stage were significantly decreased by 10.78%-55.48%.The concentrations of non-specifically absorbed and specifically absorbed As fractions of G_(B),G_(F),G_(FN),G_(BF) and G_(BFN) in soils were decreased and the amorphous and poorly crystalline hydrated Fe and Al oxidebound fraction was increased.Moreover,the As contents of G_(B),G_(F),G_(FN),G_(BF) and G_(BFN) in rice grains were significantly decreased(*P<0.05)and the total As contents of G_(FN),G_(BF) and G_(BFN) were lower than the standard limit of the National Standard for Food Safety(GB 2762-2017).Compared with the other treatments,G_(BFN) showed the greatest potential for the effective remediation of As-contaminated paddy fields.