multidisciplinary approach to assess history, environmental risks, and remediation feasability of soils contaminated by metallurgical activities. Part A. Chemical and physical properties of metals and leaching ability

• Published in: Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 411 - 420
• Main Authors: Venditti, D, Durecu, S, Berthelin, J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01-05-2000; Berlin Springer Nature B.V; New York, NY
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Aliphatic hydrocarbons; Applied sciences; Biological and physicochemical properties of pollutants. Interaction in the soil; Carbonates; Chromium; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; ecotoxicology; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental risk; Exact sciences and technology; Feasibility Studies; France; Heavy metals; Hydrocarbons; Hydrocarbons - chemistry; Industrial Waste - analysis; Industrial Waste - prevention & control; Leaching; Lead; Metallurgy; Metals; Metals, Heavy - chemistry; Multidisciplinary research; Organic matter; Physical properties; polluted soils; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Remediation; Risk Assessment; Smelters; Soil and sediments pollution; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - analysis; toxicology; Waste Management - methods; France; Europe; Complexation; Particle size; Fractionation; Organic matter; Iron oxide; Atmospheric fallout; Hydrocarbon; Aliphatic compound; Pollutant behavior; Cultivated soil; Property of soil; Mobility; Metallurgical industry; Soil pollution; Texture; Heavy metal; Sulfides; Mineralogical analysis; Manganese oxides; Lixiviation; Chemical composition; Soil interaction; Industrial area; Carbonates
• ISSN: 0090-4341; 1432-0703
• DOI: 10.1007/s002449910055

Three soils contaminated by heavy metals (HMs) and aliphatic hydrocarbons originating from different industrial sources were characterized in a multidisciplinary study combining chemical, physical (Part A), and mineralogical (Part B) approaches to define history, environmental risks, and remediation feasibility. These were an agricultural soil located nearby a Zn/Pb smelter and two soils from a steel metallurgical (siderurgy) waste land. High Pb and Zn contents were reported for all, and high Cr, Cd, and aliphatic hydrocarbons were present in different combinations in two out of three soils. Carbonate matrixes more strongly cemented fine particles in the agricultural soil than in both siderurgical ones, but buffering capacities were stronger in the latter. After the disruption of these cements by ultrasounds, HM were concentrated in the <50-microm fraction of the agricultural and of one siderurgical soil. Sequential extractions indicated for all the soils a preferential association of HM with carbonates, Fe-Mn oxides, organic matter, and sulfides. The stirring of one siderurgical soil with water resulted in an immediate leaching of hexavalent chromium (0.3 mg x L(-1)) involving potential ecotoxicological risks.