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Coating a dredged sand with recycled ferrihydrites to create a functional material for plant substrate

  • Soils, Sec 2 • Global Change, Environ Risk Assess, Sustainable Land Use • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Urban greenery provides a series of benefits for the environment and inhabitants of cities. However, the substrate preparation mostly implies the mining and erosion of valuable natural soils (e.g., peat). Purpose-designed substrates, preferably made of waste materials, could avoid the extraction damage. The present work aims at improving the production and lowering the costs of a functional stably coated sand with ferrihydrite. This functional substrate combines the Fe (hydr)oxide sorptive capacities and the fast drainage of sand. Thus, secondary raw materials were tested: a dredged sand and three Fe (hydr)oxides; one from groundwater, an industrial intermediate product, and a mining by-product.

Materials and methods

Three Fe (hydr)-oxides were structurally characterized by XRD, XRF analysis, and SSA measurements. Further, amorphous Fe (hydr)oxide concentrations were determined. Sludges of these Fe (hydr)oxides in different concentrations were hand-mixed with a dredged and a mined sand, and dried at 35 °C. The stabilization of the coating was made by heavy shaking (250 rpm) the coated sand with water (3:1 w:w) for 0, 10, and 1000 min, washing and drying at 35 °C afterwards. Thereafter, the effectiveness of this treatment was determined by the Fe concentration and pH of the coated sand, along with the particle size of the detached aggregates during shaking, and the pH in the washing water. The morphology of the coating was observed by scanning electron microscopy.

Results and discussion

All Fe (hydr)oxides were 2-line ferrihydrites with large SSA, and coated both sands. Only after 1000 min shaking, homogeneous and small ferrihydrite aggregates covered the sands surfaces (verified by SEM and particle size). The impurities of the ferrihydrites affected the stabilization of the coating. Calcium carbonates enhanced the aggregation and reattachment of the Fe aggregates to the sand during shaking, while phosphate reduced the reattachment by stabilizing the aggregates in the suspension.

Conclusions

Two out of three ferrihydrites were suitable to develop a stable coating. To coat dredged sand with both ferrihydrites lowers the cost and production time to obtain a functional substrate. One ferrihydrite has a high pH due to its high CaCO3 content, and sand coated with it may be used as an amendment for acidic clayey soils.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD, German academic exchange service) for funding. We thank the Center for Microscopy of the Technische Universität (ZELMI), especially Christoph Fahrenson, for his help with the microscopy images. We thank Dr. Stefan Abel for his enlightening contribution to the discussion and the revision of the manuscript. We thank Maike Mai, Iris Pieper, Sabine Dumke, Sabine Rautenberg, and specially Lisa Zehlike for their technical assistance with the laboratory procedures. Peter Dominik in memoriam.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Ernst-Reuter-Platz 1, 10587, Berlin, Germany

    Eleonora Flores-Ramírez, Peter Dominik & Martin Kaupenjohann

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  1. Eleonora Flores-Ramírez
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  2. Peter Dominik
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  3. Martin Kaupenjohann
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Correspondence to Eleonora Flores-Ramírez.

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Responsible editor: Fabio Scarciglia

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Flores-Ramírez, E., Dominik, P. & Kaupenjohann, M. Coating a dredged sand with recycled ferrihydrites to create a functional material for plant substrate. J Soils Sediments 18, 534–545 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1772-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1772-7

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