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Enhanced stabilization of Pb, Zn, and Cd in contaminated soils using oxalic acid-activated phosphate rocks

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Abstract

Phosphate amendments, especially phosphate rock (PR), are one of the most commonly used materials to stabilize heavy metals in contaminated soils. However, most of PR reserve consists of low-grade ore, which limits the efficiency of PR for stabilizing heavy metals. This study was to enhance the stabilization of heavy metals through improving the available phosphorous (P) release of PR by oxalic acid activation. Raw PR and activated PR (APR) were characterized by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface analysis, and laser diffraction to determine the changes of structure and composition of APR. The stabilization effectiveness of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd) in soils by APR was investigated through toxicity leaching test and speciation analysis. The results indicated that after treatment by oxalic acid, (1) the crystallinity of the fluorapatite phase of PR transformed into the weddellite phase; (2) the surface area of PR increased by 37%; (3) the particle size of PR became homogenized (20–70 μm); and (4) the available P content in PR increased by 22 times. These changes of physicochemical characteristics of PR induced that APR was more effective to transform soil heavy metals from the non-residual fraction to the residual fraction and enhance the stabilization efficiency of Pb, Zn, and Cd than PR. These results are significant for the future use of low-grade PR to stabilize heavy metals.

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Funding

We are grateful to the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (“863” program) (2012AA101402) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41071165) for their financial support for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Key Laboratory of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Zhuo Zhang, Jia Zhang, Fasheng Li & Honghan Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Guanlin Guo & Mei Wang

  3. Beijing Junmei Environmental Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100081, China

    Zhixin Wang

Authors
  1. Zhuo Zhang
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  2. Guanlin Guo
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  3. Mei Wang
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  4. Jia Zhang
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  5. Zhixin Wang
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  6. Fasheng Li
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  7. Honghan Chen
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Correspondence to Honghan Chen.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Zhang, Z., Guo, G., Wang, M. et al. Enhanced stabilization of Pb, Zn, and Cd in contaminated soils using oxalic acid-activated phosphate rocks. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 2861–2868 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0664-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0664-0

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