Selective sequential extraction analysis of heavy-metal retention in soil

The selective sequential extraction method of analysis is used in this study to determine the distribution of heavy metals in some clay soils, to assist in evaluation of the role of the various clay soil solids (clay minerals, organics, amorphous materials, and carbonates) in heavy-metal retention capability as a function of acidity of the leachate. The chemical speciation model MINTEQ (metal speciation equilibrium model for surface and groundwater) is used to calculate the probable percent distribution of different species of heavy metals present in the leachate used. The selective sequential extraction method is based on the fact that different forms of heavy metals that are retained in soil (e.g., as oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, bound with organic matter) can be extracted selectively by using appropriate reagents. The results show that heavy metals can be retained in the four clay soils studied by several soil phases or mechanisms such as exchangeable, carbonate, hydroxide, and organic phases. The retention of heavy metals in any phase depends on soil solution pH, soil constituents, and the type of heavy metal. At high soil solution pH values, retention of heavy metal by precipitation mechanisms prevails, whereas at low soil solution pH, retention by cation exchange mechanisms becomes dominant. The results from the selective sequential extraction analysis support the conclusion of the significance of soil buffer capacity with regard to heavy-metal retention. The capacity of the soils to retain high amounts of heavy metals as they receive increasing amounts of acid (i.e., as the pH is reduced) depends directly on the soil initial pH values and on their buffer capacities. Key words : selective sequential analysis, exchangeable cations, heavy metals, equilibrium models, oxides.