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Mixed chelators of EDTA, GLDA, and citric acid as washing agent effectively remove Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu from soils

  • Soils, Sec 3 • Remediation and Management of Contaminated or Degraded Lands • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

Soil washing with chelators is a viable treatment alternative for remediating multi-contaminated soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the removal efficiencies of Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu in alkaline and acid multi-metal-contaminated soils by washing with the mixed chelators (MC).

Materials and methods

The batch experiments were carried out to evaluate the removal efficiencies of heavy metals in contaminated soils by the MC with different molar ratios of EDTA, GLDA, and citric acid, and evaluated the washing factors, including contact time, pH, MC concentration, and single and multiple washings at the same MC dose, on the removal efficiencies.

Results and discussion

Results showed that the removal efficiencies for Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu by the MC (the molar ratio of EDTA, GLDA, and citric acid was 1:1:3) were as much as those of the only EDTA washing from both soil at the same application dose of total chelators; moreover, the application dose of EDTA decreased by 80%. For the alkaline-contaminated soil, the removal efficiencies of Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu decreased with the increasing of the solution pH, which was opposite to acid-contaminated soil. This was attributed to that the metal-ligand complex could be obviously re-adsorbed on the soil surface sites, particularly in low pH values. The removal efficiencies of Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu depended on MC concentration. A higher MC concentration led to a more effective removal of Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu in alkaline-contaminated soil; however, their changes were slightly increased in acid-contaminated soil. At the same dose of MC, single washing with higher MC concentration might be favorable to remove heavy metals, moreover, with much less wastewater generation.

Conclusions

The MC (the molar ratio of EDTA, GLDA, and citric acid was 1:1:3) may be a useful, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective chelators to remediate heavily multi-metal-contaminated soil.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the funding of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41401584, 41541012, 41402305), Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province (No. 2014A020216033), and Shanxi Province Science Foundation for Youths (No. 2014021035-2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment and Safety, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China

    Xiaofang Guo, Guixiang Zhang, Liping Zhang, Qiusheng He & Tianwei Qian

  2. College of Natural Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Ecological Agriculture of Ministry of Agriculture of China, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Zebin Wei & Qitang Wu

Authors
  1. Xiaofang Guo
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  2. Guixiang Zhang
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  3. Zebin Wei
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  4. Liping Zhang
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  5. Qiusheng He
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  6. Qitang Wu
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  7. Tianwei Qian
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Correspondence to Xiaofang Guo or Tianwei Qian.

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Responsible editor: Daniel C. W. Tsang

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Guo, X., Zhang, G., Wei, Z. et al. Mixed chelators of EDTA, GLDA, and citric acid as washing agent effectively remove Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu from soils. J Soils Sediments 18, 835–844 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1781-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1781-6

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