Abstract
The distribution and the availability of Cd, Zn, Cu, and Pb along the entire profile of two highly polluted soils located near Zn smelters have been related to the chemical and mineralogical composition of the soil. Lead and Cu deposits always remain in the surface layers and their availability measured by neutral ammonium acetate extraction was very weak. The behavior of Cd and Zn appears different in sandy acidic podzolic soils and in neutral loamy soils. These metals are associated with the organic matter migration in podzolic soils, while they remain in the upper layers in loamy soils provided that the pH is higher than 6. When the pH drops below 6, the mobility of Cd increases while that of Zn increases only below pH 5. The availability of heavy metals is lower in neutral loamy soils than in sandy acidic soils due to precipitation of carbonates and phosphates. With increasing depth, Cd and Zn are more available if the soil is acid; but, if the soil is neutral and loamy the availability is kept low by adsorption on clays and free oxides. The results of the complex trace metals interactions with the soil components show a higher accumulation capacity for loamy soils than for sandy soils notwithstanding the fact that their CEC is similar.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Buchauer, M. J.: 1973, Environ. Sci. Technol. 7, 131.
Farrah, H. and Pickering, W. F.: 1979, Chemical Geology 25, 317.
Garcia-Miragaya, J. and Page, A. L.: 1978, Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 9, 289.
Hahne, H. C.H. and Kroontje, W.: 1973, J. Env. Qual. 2, 444.
Harrison, R. M., Laxen, D. P. H., and Wilson, S. J.: 1981, Environ. Sci. Technol. 15, 1378.
Hoenig, M., Dupire, S., and Wollast, R.: 1981, L'atomisation électrothermique en spectrométrie d'absorption atomique et son application dans les études de l'environment, CEBEDOC/LIEGE.
Jackson, M. L.: 1958, Soil Chemical Analysis, Prentice Hall Inc.
John, M. K., Van Laerhoven, C. J., and Cross, C. H.: 1975, Environ. Lett. 10, 25.
Lagerwerff, J. V., Biersdorf, G. T., and Brower, D. L.: 1976, J. Environ. Qual. 5, 19.
Leeper, G. W.: 1978, Managing the Heavy Metals on the Land, Dekker, New York.
Lund, L. J., Page, A. L., and Nelson, C. O.: 1976, J. Environ. Qual. 5, 330.
McBride, H. B., Tyler, L. D., and Houde, D. A.: 1981, Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 45, 739.
Mehra, D. P. and Jackson, M. L.: 1960, Clays Clay Miner. 7, 317.
Pickering, W. F.: 1981, CRC Crit. Rev. Anal. Chem. 233.
Schnitzer, H. and Khan, S. V.: 1972, Humic Substances in the Environment, Dekker, New York.
Singh, S.: 1979, Can. J. Soil Sci. 59, 119.
Street, J. J., Lindsay, W. L., and Sabey, B. R.: 1977, J. Env. Qual. 6, 72.
Taylor, R. W. and Griffin, G. F.: 1981, Plant and Soil 62, 147.
Williams, D. E., Vlamis, J., Pukite, A. N., and Corey, J. E.: 1980, Soil Science 129, 119.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Scokart, P.O., Meeus-Verdinne, K. & De Borger, R. Mobility of heavy metals in polluted soils near zinc smelters. Water Air Soil Pollut 20, 451–463 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00208519
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00208519