Mobility and accumulation of selenium and its relationship with other heavy metals in the system rocks/soils–crops in areas covered by black shale in Korea

The purpose of this study is to investigate the enrichment level and dispersion patterns of Se and associated elements in rocks, soils and crops which were collected in the Dukpyung and the Chubu areas covered with black shales of the Okchon Group in Korea. Rock and soil samples were analyzed for Se including multiple elements by ICP, ICP-MS and INAA, and crop samples by INAA. Soil pH and loss-on-ignition (LOI) were also measured.     

Immobilization of Cu and As in two contaminated soils with zero-valent iron – Long-term performance and mechanisms

Immobilization of trace elements in contaminated soils by zero-valent iron (ZVI) is a promising remediation method, but questions about its long-term performance remain unanswered. To quantify immobilization and predict possible contaminant remobilization on long timescales detailed knowledge about immobilization mechanisms is needed. This study aimed at assessing the long-term effect of ZVI amendments on dissolved copper and arsenic in contaminated soils, at exploring the immobilization mechanism(s), and at setting up a geochemical model able to estimate dissolved copper and arsenic under different scenarios. Samples from untreated and ZVI-treated plots in two field experiments where ZVI had been added 6 and 15 years ago were investigated by a combination of batch experiments, geochemical modeling and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Dissolved copper and arsenic concentrations were described by a multisurface geochemical model with surface complexation reactions, verified by EXAFS. The ZVI remained “reactive” after 6–15 years, i.e. the dissolved concentrations of copper and arsenic were lower in the ZVI-treated than in the untreated soils. There was a shift in copper speciation from organic matter complexes in the untreated soil to surface complexes with iron (hydr)oxides in the ZVI-treated soil. The pH value was important for copper immobilization and ZVI did not have a stabilizing effect if pH was lower than about 6. Immobilization of arsenic was slightly pH-dependent and sensitive to the competition with phosphate. If phosphate was ignored in the modeling, the dissolution of arsenate was greatly underestimated.     

Distribution of soluble heavy metal concentrations in natural acid soils at depths under tropical, sub-tropical and temperate forests of China

Climatic conditions such as temperate and rainfall, the types of soils and vegetations may affect the biogeochemical behaviour of heavy metals in natural acid forest soils, which in turn affects soil biological process. However, to date our knowledge is l…