Speciation and mobility of Zn, Cu and Pb in a truck farming soil contaminated by sewage irrigation

International audienceThe forrns and mobility of Cu (290 mg/kg), Zn (1103 mg/kg), and Pb (535 mg/kg) in a soil used for intensive truck farining from the Region Ile-de-France, and which has been irrigated for more than a century with sewage water ftom the city of Paris, have been studied by chemical treatments and advanced x-ray techniques. Elemental associations and forms of metals were determined qualitatively and quantitatively by a combination of physical techniques, including μPIXE (Cu, Zn, Pb), μSXRF (Cu, Zn), μEXAFS (Zn) and powder EXAFS (Zn). The nature, number, and relative proportion of Zn species were obtained by principal component analysis and decomposition of Zn K-edge EXAFS spectra. These data collectively indicate that Cu is associated mainly with organic matter, and that Zn and Pb are bound essentially to mineral constituents. Four Zn-containing species were positively identified: Zn-phosphate and phyllosilicate as dominant species, and Zn-Fe oxyhydroxide and willemite (Zn2SiO4) as minor species. Studies are underway to determine the structural forms of Cu and Pb. Depending on the chemical treatment, up to 70% Cu, ~50% Zn, and ~85% Pb can be removed in a few days with citrate and EDTA. Citrate is generally at least as efficient as EDTA, and it has the advantage ofbeing easily biodegradable and, hence, less harmful to ecosystems

Speciation and mobility of Zn, Cu and Pb in a truck farming soil contaminated by sewage irrigation


The forrns and mobility of Cu (290 mg/kg), Zn (1103 mg/kg), and Pb (535 mg/kg) in a soil used for intensive truck farining from the Region Ile-de-France, and which has been irrigated for more than a century with sewage water ftom the city of Paris, have been studied by chemical treatments and advanced x-ray techniques. Elemental associations and forms of metals were determined qualitatively and quantitatively by a combination of physical techniques, including $\mu$PIXE (Cu, Zn, Pb), $\mu$SXRF (Cu, Zn), $\mu$EXAFS (Zn) and powder EXAFS (Zn). The nature, number, and relative proportion of Zn species were obtained by principal component analysis and decomposition of Zn K-edge EXAFS spectra. These data collectively indicate that Cu is associated mainly with organic matter, and that Zn and Pb are bound essentially to mineral constituents. Four Zn-containing species were positively identified: Zn-phosphate and phyllosilicate as dominant species, and Zn-Fe oxyhydroxide and willemite (Zn$_2$SiO$_4$) as minor species. Studies are underway to determine the structural forms of Cu and Pb. Depending on the chemical treatment, up to 70% Cu, ~50% Zn, and ~85% Pb can be removed in a few days with citrate and EDTA. Citrate is generally at least as efficient as EDTA, and it has the advantage ofbeing easily biodegradable and, hence, less harmful to ecosystems.

Effects of chemical amendments on the lability and speciation of metals in anaerobically digested biosolids

The interaction of inorganic contaminants present in biosolids with iron, aluminum, and manganese oxy/hydroxides has been advocated as a key mechanism limiting their bioavailability. In this study, we investigated whether this is indeed the case, and further, whether it can be exploited to produce optimized biosolids products through the addition of chemical additives during sewage sludge processing. Experiments were conducted to investigate whether the addition of iron- and aluminum-based amendments (at 5 different rates) during the anaerobic digestion phase of wastewater treatment can effectively change the speciation or lability of contaminant metals (copper, zinc and cadmium) in biosolids destined for use in agriculture. The performance of the bioreactors was monitored throughout and the speciation and lability were determined in both fresh and 3-month aged biosolids using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (Cu, Zn) and isotopic dilution (65Cu, 65Zn, 109Cd). The tested amendments (FeCl3, Al2(SO4)3, and Al-rich water treatment residual) did not cause significant changes in metal speciation and were of limited use for reducing the lability of contaminant metals in good quality biosolids (suitable for use in agriculture), suggesting that high affinity binding sites were already in excess in these materials. However, the use of chemical amendments may offer advantages in terms of treatment process optimization and may also be beneficial when biosolids are used for contaminated site remediation.Erica Donner, Gianluca Brunetti, Bernie Zarcinas, Paul Harris, Ehsan Tavakkoli, Ravi Naidu and Enzo Lomb

Solid-phase speciation of Pb in urban road dust sediment: a XANES and EXAFS study

The quality of the urban environment is of growing concern as its human population continues to dramatically increase. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and SEM have been used to study the solid-phase speciation of Pb in urban road dust sediments (RDS) in Manchester, UK. XANES analysis and linear combination modeling indicate that PbCrO4 and Pb-sorbed goethite occur in 1000−500 μm, 250−125 μm, 63−38 μm, and <38 μm size fractions, collectively representing between 51−67% of the contributing Pb-phases. XANES analysis suggests that PbO, PbCl2, and Pb carbonates are also present. EXAFS modeling for all grain size fractions gives best fit models with a first shell of two oxygen atoms at 2.29−2.32 Å, which corroborate the possible presence of Pb-sorbed goethite, and also suggest the presence of Pb phosphates and Pb oxides. Second shell Pb−Fe and second and third shell Pb−Pb scattering distances confirm Pb-sorbed to Fe oxide, and PbCl2 and PbCrO4, respectively. Many of the XAS models are corroborated by SEM observations. The Pb-phases may pose a risk to human health if inhaled or ingested, with insoluble phases such as PbCrO4 potentially causing inflammation in the lungs, and soluble phases such as PbO potentially being the most bioaccessible in the digestive tract

Origin of high Zn contents in Jurassic limestone of the Jura mountain range and the Burgundy: evidence from Zn speciation and distribution

ISSN:1661-8734ISSN:1661-872