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Remediation of metal-contaminated paddy soils by chemical washing with FeCl3 and citric acid

  • Soils, Sec 5 • Soil and Landscape Ecology • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Batch extraction experiments were conducted to investigate the chemical washing of metal-contaminated paddy soils using mixtures of ferric chloride (FeCl3) and citric acid (CTA).

Materials and methods

The effects of the extractants (FeCl3, CTA, or FeCl3 + CTA) and washing cycles (single-step or multistep washing) on the metal removal efficiency were studied. FeCl3 + CTA increased metal removal efficiency to some extent compared to single FeCl3 or CTA. When the liquid-to-solid ratio was 2:1 with three washes and two rinses, a mixture of 10 mmol L−1 FeCl3 and 20 mmol L−1 CTA removed 78.9% Cd, 15.8% Cu, 34.0% Zn, and 18.1% Pb from a Typic Fe–accumuli–Stagnic Anthrosols. Using multistep washing instead of single-step increased the metal extraction effect. Moreover, the removal efficiency and speciation of metals in different soils and changes in soil properties in washed soils were also studied.

Results and discussion

The removal rate of Cd was higher than that of Zn, Cu, or Pb because of the higher proportions of acid-soluble forms of Cd in the soils. The removal of metals from different soils depended on the distribution of metal speciation and soil type. Soil pH, CEC, exchangeable Ca, and exchangeable Mg decreased significantly after soil washing.

Conclusions

We conclude that chemical washing of metal-contaminated paddy soils with mixtures of FeCl3 and citric acid may be a feasible technique for soil remediation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was jointly supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BE20130711) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41325003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Jianbo Gao, Jie Zhao & Changxun Dong

  2. Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Jie Zhao, Longhua Wu & Pengjie Hu

Authors
  1. Jianbo Gao
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  2. Jie Zhao
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  3. Changxun Dong
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  4. Longhua Wu
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  5. Pengjie Hu
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Correspondence to Changxun Dong.

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Responsible editor: Richard K. Shaw

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Gao, J., Zhao, J., Dong, C. et al. Remediation of metal-contaminated paddy soils by chemical washing with FeCl3 and citric acid. J Soils Sediments 18, 1020–1028 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1759-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-017-1759-4

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