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Determination of the affinity of heavy metals to carrier phases in soils

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Abstract

A new index is proposed to determine the affinity of heavy metals (HM) to carrier phases (AHM-fraction), which, in contrast to the traditional index pCHM = 100 CHM-fraction/CHM-soil (Fedotov et al., Environ Chem 16:323–332, 2019; Land et al., Chem Geol 160:121–138, 1999), considers the sum of all metals in the phase as a share of the sum of the bulk content of all HM in the soil. Then, index of the affinity of HM for the given phase (ALn-phase) is determined by formula: AHM = (CHM-phase/ΣCHM-phase)/(CHM-soil/ΣCHM-soil), where CLn-phase is the content of the given HM in fraction under consideration, ΣCLn-phase is the sum of all HM in this fraction, CLn-soil is the content of the given HM in the initial soil, and ΣCLn-soil is the sum of all metals in the initial soil. All values of HM are taken after rationing on the European Clark of chemical elements according to (Kabata-Pendias, Trace elements in soils and plants N.Y. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2011). At AHM-fraction > 1, the metal has affinity for the given phase; vice versa, at AHM-fraction < 1, the affinity is absent. Comparison of the affinity series of metals for phases based on two indices revealed their discrepancy in most cases. The discrepancy of affinity series of metals for phases is provoked by insufficient substantiation of index pCHM, which depends on the “strength” of reagent but does not influence index AHM-fraction. Therefore, we propose a new index that can take into consideration the discrepancy in affinity of the given metal for phases extracted by different strength reagents. Siderophility of metals depends on the properties of iron oxides: Cu and Ni show affinity for amorphous iron oxides (ferrihydrite); Cu and Pb display affinity for crystalline oxides (magnetite and goethite). In uncontaminated and contaminated soils, Cu, Pb and La show affinity for iron minerals that are dissolved in hydroxylamine and Tamm's reagent. Organophility of all three metals (Cu, Pb and La) is only realized in the uncontaminated alluvial soil (hereafter, Fluvisols) in the Kama River floodplain. Contaminated soils, however, are affected by additional factors that weaken the fixation of classic organophilic metals. Reasons for such distortion in the organophility of metals in the contaminated soils are likely related to a specific mineral composition of HM pollutants and the specificity of organic matter composition.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation 20-14-00317.

Funding

The Russian Science Foundation is acknowledged for providing funding in the project no. 20-14-00317.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation

    Yuriy Vodyanitskii

  2. Southern Federal University, 194/1 Prosp. Stachki Ave., Rostov-on-Don, 344006, Russian Federation

    Tatiana Minkina

Authors
  1. Yuriy Vodyanitskii
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  2. Tatiana Minkina
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Yuriy N. Vodyanitskii involved in data curation, methodology, conceptualization, supervision, writing—original draft preparation—review & editing; Tatiana Minkina involved in conceptualization, supervision, writing—review & editing.

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Correspondence to Tatiana Minkina.

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Vodyanitskii, Y., Minkina, T. Determination of the affinity of heavy metals to carrier phases in soils. Environ Geochem Health 44, 1277–1288 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-00938-7

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