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Feasibility of soil washing agents to remove fluoride and risk assessment of fluoride-contaminated soils

  • Clean Up Korea 2019
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The objectives of this study are to find the most suitable soil washing agent and the optimal concentration for fluoride removal and to further provide insights into fluoride-contaminated soil washing.

Methods

The effects of the washing solution, the concentration, and the particle size of soil on the fluoride removal efficiency were investigated. Evaluation of the feasibility of ZrO2 to treat soil-washing wastewater and risk assessment of fluoride contaminated soil before and after soil washing were also conducted. The fluoride concentration in soil was measured following the standard method, and the fluoride concentration in solution was measured following 2-(parasulfophenylazo)-1,8-dihydroxy-3,6-naphthalene-disulfonate (SPADNS) spectrophotometric method.

Results

Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) showed the highest fluoride removal efficiency. The dominant fraction of F was the residual fraction before and after soil washing. ZrO2 injection showed 97.9% of fluoride removal efficiency in the post-treatment of soil-washing wastewater. The hazard quotient for non-carcinogenic risk was 1.12 × 10−2 for adults and 1.04 × 10−1 for children, respectively.

Conclusion

The results indicated that 1 M of H2SO4 could meet Korean soil standard (400 mg/kg) as soil washing solution. These results indicated that the soil washing of fluoride-contaminated soil with H2SO4 could be a feasible technique for soil remediation.

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Funding

This work was supported by Korea Environment Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) through Chemical Accident Prevention Technology Development Project, funded by Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE) (2018001970001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Environment, Health and Welfare Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Hwarang-ro 14, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea

    Yongtae Ahn, Kalimuthu Pandi & Jaeyoung Choi

  2. Geological Environment Division, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, 124 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34132, Republic of Korea

    Dong-Wan Cho

Authors
  1. Yongtae Ahn
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  2. Kalimuthu Pandi
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  3. Dong-Wan Cho
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  4. Jaeyoung Choi
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Correspondence to Jaeyoung Choi.

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Ahn, Y., Pandi, K., Cho, DW. et al. Feasibility of soil washing agents to remove fluoride and risk assessment of fluoride-contaminated soils. J Soils Sediments 21, 2770–2777 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02808-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02808-8

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