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Speciation of heavy metals in garden soils: evidences from selective and sequential chemical leaching

  • SOILS, SEC 2 • GLOBAL CHANGE, ENVIRON RISK ASSESS, SUSTAINABLE LAND USE • RESEARCH ARTICLE
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Abstract

Purpose

Gardening (especially food growing) in urban areas is becoming popular, but urban soils are often very contaminated for historical reasons. There is lack of sufficient information as to the bioavailability of soil heavy metals to plants and human in urban environments. This study examines the relative leachability of Cr, Ni, As, Cd, Zn, and Pb for soils with varying characteristics. The speciation and mobility of these metals can be qualitatively inferred from the leaching experiments. The goal is to use the data to shed some light on their bioavailability to plant and human, as well as the basis for soil remediation.

Materials and methods

Selective and sequential chemical leaching methods were both used to evaluate the speciation of Cr, Ni, As, Cd, Zn, and Pb in soil samples collected from New York City residential and community gardens. The sequential leaching experiment followed a standard BCR four-step procedure, while selective leaching involved seven different chemical extractants.

Results and discussion

The results from selective and sequential leaching methods are consistent. In general, very little of the heavy metals were found in the easily soluble or exchangeable fractions. Larger fractions of Cd and Zn can be leached out than other metals. Lead appears predominantly in the organic or carbonate fractions, of which ∼30–60% is in the easily soluble organic fraction. Most As cannot be leached out by any of the extractants used, but it could have been complicated by the ineffective dissolution of oxides by ammonium hydroxylamine. Ni and Cr were mostly in the residual fractions but some released in the oxidizable fractions. Therefore, the leachability of metals follow the order Cd/Zn > Pb > Ni/Cr.

Conclusions

Despite of the controversy and inaccuracy surrounding chemical leaching methods for the speciation of metals, chemical leaching data provide important, general, and easy-to-access information on the mobility of heavy metals in soils, which in turn relates to their potential bioavailability to plant uptake and human health risk. Such data can be used to guide risk assessment of different metals and develop effective remediation strategies.

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Acknowledgments

We want to thank the numerous gardeners who sent their soil samples in for screening of heavy metal contents. Public attention to our soil screen program was also assisted by The New York Times and CBS Evening News. Discussions with scientists and educators from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden have contributed to our understanding of the urban soils and plant uptake of metals. Comments and suggestions from Prof. Jean Louis Morel and two anonymous reviewers were very helpful in improving this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Sciences Analytical Center, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College of The City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, 11210, USA

    Zhongqi Cheng, Leda Lee, Sara Dayan & Michael Grinshtein

  2. USDA-NRCS NYC Soil Survey, 1000 South Ave, Staten Island, NY, 10314, USA

    Richard Shaw

Authors
  1. Zhongqi Cheng
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  2. Leda Lee
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  3. Sara Dayan
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  4. Michael Grinshtein
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  5. Richard Shaw
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhongqi Cheng.

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Responsible editor: Jean Louis Morel

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Cheng, Z., Lee, L., Dayan, S. et al. Speciation of heavy metals in garden soils: evidences from selective and sequential chemical leaching. J Soils Sediments 11, 628–638 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-011-0351-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-011-0351-6

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