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Efficiency and comprehensive risk assessment of soil Pb and Cd by washing technique with three biodegradable eluents

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Abstract

Soil washing with environmentally friendly eluents is a rapid remediation technique for farmland polluted by heavy metals. In this study, polyepoxysuccinic acid (PESA), ethylenediamine tetra (methylene phosphonic acid) sodium (EDTMPS), and phosphonyl carboxylic acid copolymer (POCA) were applied to remedy paddy and arid soils polluted by Pb and Cd. At the same time, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was used as a control eluent. PESA showed comparable removal of soil Pb and Cd (over 80.0%) with EDTA, and EDTMPS and POCA removed two heavy metals by 35.2–50.3%. For labile fractions, PESA significantly removed Pb by 93.5–96.7% and Cd by 84.9–90.3% in two soils. EDTMPS and POCA removed Pb by 75.5–85.8% in two soils, while they only removed Cd by 11.7–42.2% in paddy soil, and 76.3–81.7% in arid soil. The risks of total heavy metal concentrations were reduced from the high risk to low risk in paddy soil, and to considerable risk in arid soil, while only dropped to considerable or even had no change by EDTMPS and POCA leaching. The risks of the two soils reduced from high to low or considerable level after PESA washing based on labile fraction change, and to considerable or high level after EDTMPS and POCA leaching, respectively. Therefore, PESA is an ecological benefit eluent for remediating the farmland polluted by heavy metals, and the risk assessment based on labile fraction more easily identifies the dynamic change of heavy metal during the washing process.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Can Feng, Xiaojie Ma, Fangfang Qiao, and Rui Zhang of Sichuan Agricultural University for supporting the research work.

Funding

This study was supported by funding from the Key Research and Development Program of Sichuan Province, China (2019YFN0020) and the Science and Technology Project for Sichuan Environmental Protection (2018HB30).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Sciences, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China

    Qinmei Zhong, Shirong Zhang, Xiaomei Pan, Guiyin Wang, Xiaoxun Xu, Yan He, Ling Luo, Yan Liu & Lulu Long

  2. College of Resources, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China

    Ting Li & Wei Zhou

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  1. Qinmei Zhong
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  2. Shirong Zhang
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  3. Xiaomei Pan
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  7. Wei Zhou
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  10. Yan Liu
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  11. Lulu Long
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Qinmei Zhong: material preparation, data collection, analysis, and writing original draft; Shirong Zhang: methodology, analysis, writing—review, and editing; Xiaomei Pan: material preparation and writing—review; Guiyin Wang: methodology and writing—review; Xiaoxun Xu: supervision and validation; Ting Li: data analysis and visualization; Wei Zhou: data analysis; Yan He: investigation; Ling Luo: investigation; Yan Liu: editing; Lulu Long: editing.

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Zhong, Q., Zhang, S., Pan, X. et al. Efficiency and comprehensive risk assessment of soil Pb and Cd by washing technique with three biodegradable eluents. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 61811–61824 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15037-4

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