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Immobilizing arsenic in soil via amine metal complex: a case study using iron-ethylenediamine

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Abstract

Fe-based nanomaterials have been extensively investigated for their application in mitigating arsenic (As) pollution in groundwater, sediment, and soils. Here, an iron-ethylenediamine (Fe-EDA) complex was synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy before its use as an amendment to ameliorate As-polluted soils. Column leaching tests at three Fe-EDA application rates (1%, 3%, and 5%) were conducted, and their results were compared with those acquired after using nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) and Fe3O4, to assess their efficiency to amend As-contaminated paddy soils. After leaching, stabilization efficiency and soil chemical characteristics were determined. Additionally, As fractions were measured using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectroscopy by employing a sequential extraction procedure to evaluate the performance of the treatments and understand the underlying their mechanisms. Compared with the control treatment, the Fe-EDA treatment reduced As release by more than 35.33% in the 2nd leaching cycle, whereas nZVI and Fe3O4 decreased the As release by 11.84% and 24.60%, respectively. Moreover, the optimal addition of the Fe-EDA chelate was 5%, which stabilized more than 50% As in the soil from the 7th to 11th leaching cycles. After sequential extraction, the Fe–Mn oxide binding fraction, which was originally 12.65%, increased to 21.5%, 18.23%, and 21.71% after the application of nZVI, Fe3O4, and Fe-EDA amendments, respectively. Furthermore, our treatments promoted the binding of the As fraction with crystalline Fe (III) (oxyhydr)oxide (F3); however, other fractions did not increase considerably, suggesting that the Fe-EDA complex could effectively stabilize As through electrostatic attraction between the arsenate anion and EDA, as well as As-O-Fe bond formation via a coordinating reaction. Overall, Fe-EDA was found to be a potent amendment for mitigating As-polluted soil.

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Funding

This study was supported by major projects of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China NK2022180401 and NK2022180404.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment Sciences, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100193, China

    Qilin Lv, Tairan Zhou, Tianhao Wang, Shuhan Wang, Yanning Ge, Xueqin Ren & Shuwen Hu

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention-Control and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, 100193, Beijing, China

    Xueqin Ren & Shuwen Hu

  3. Hekou District Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Dongying City, Shandong Province, 257200, China

    Yuling Song

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  1. Qilin Lv
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  4. Shuhan Wang
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Contributions

The first draft of the manuscript was written by Qilin Lv. Tairan Zhou and Shuhan Wang contributed to the conception and design of the study. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Yannig Ge and Tianhao Wang. Shuwen Hu and Xueqin Ren reviewed and edited the article. Yuping Song provided constructive suggestions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shuwen Hu.

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Lv, Q., Zhou, T., Wang, T. et al. Immobilizing arsenic in soil via amine metal complex: a case study using iron-ethylenediamine. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 51942–51954 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25986-7

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