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Removal of Pb and Zn from contaminated soil by different washing methods: the influence of reagents and ultrasound

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Abstract

Pb and Zn contamination in agricultural soils has become an important issue for human health and the environment. Washing is an effective method for remediating polluted soil. Here, we compare several washing materials and methods in the treatment of Pb- and Zn-polluted farmland soil. We examined four washing reagents, hydrochloric acid, citric acid, Na2EDTA, and tartaric acid, all of which independently removed Zn at rates >65 %. Combining washing reagents markedly enhanced heavy metal removal, by using Na2EDTA and either tartaric acid or lactate in sequence: Pb and Zn removal rates improved to 84.1 and 82.1 % for Na2EDTA-tartaric acid; and to 88.3 and 89.9 % for Na2EDTA-lactate, respectively. Additionally, combining ultrasound with conventional washing methods markedly improved washing efficiency, by shortening washing duration by 96 %. We achieved similar removal rates using ultrasound for 10 min, compared with traditional mechanical vibration alone for 4 h. We concluded that treating Pb- and Zn-contaminated soil with appropriate washing reagents under optimal conditions can greatly enhance the remediation of polluted farmland soils.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2015ZX07205-003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Jiaming Wang, Jianguo Jiang, Dean Li, Tianran Li, Kaimin Li & Sicong Tian

  2. Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing, 100084, China

    Jianguo Jiang

  3. Collaborative Innovation Center for Regional Environmental Quality, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Jianguo Jiang

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  1. Jiaming Wang
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  2. Jianguo Jiang
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  3. Dean Li
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  4. Tianran Li
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  5. Kaimin Li
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  6. Sicong Tian
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Correspondence to Jianguo Jiang.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Wang, J., Jiang, J., Li, D. et al. Removal of Pb and Zn from contaminated soil by different washing methods: the influence of reagents and ultrasound. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 20084–20091 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5219-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5219-7

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