Immobilization of Zinc and Cadmium in Polluted Soils by Polynuclear Al13 and Al-Montmorillonite

Abstract

We investigated the suitability of two aluminum-based binding agents, polynuclear Al13 and Al-coated montmorillonite (Al-mont-morillonite), for the immobilization of heavy metals in two contaminated agricultural soils: a loamy luvisol from an arable site in Rafz, Canton Zurich, Switzerland, and a sandy podsol from Szopienice, Upper Silesia, Poland. Both soils were polluted by lead, zinc, and cadmium: the soil from Szopienice by the emissions of a nearby zinc-lead smelter, and the soil from Rafz by sewage sludge applications. While the samples from Szopienice exhibited extremely high loads of these metals, the samples from Rafz were only moderately contaminated. The samples from both soils were slightly acidic. The Rafz soil contained 2.5% organic matter, that from Szopienice only 1.5%. Destruction of the organic matter in the Szopienice samples by H2O2 led to a significant release of Zn and Cd into solution. This indicated that organic matter is an important factor for the immobilization of heavy metals i...