The co-transport of Cd(II) and nZnO in saturated soil packed column: effects of ionic strength and pH

The rapid development and widespread use of ZnO nanoparticles (nZnO) in various industries have raised concerns about their potential environmental impact. Therefore, understanding the fate and role of nZnO in the natural environment is crucial for mitigating their hazardous effects on the environment and human safety. The purpose of the present study was to provide scientific support for understanding and eliminating the joint risk of nanoparticle and heavy metal pollution in the soil environment by revealing the co-transport characteristics of Cd(II) and ZnO nanoparticles (nZnO) in soil under different ionic strength (IS) and pH. The impacts of different IS and pH on the co-transport of Cd(II) and nZnO in a 20 cm long with an inner diameter of 2.5 cm acrylic column packed with 10 cm high soil samples were investigated in the present study. In the above system, a 500 μg L⁻¹ Cd(II) loaded nZnO suspension pulse with varying IS or pH was introduced into the soil column for leaching over 5 PVs, followed up by 5 PVs background solutions without nZnO. The IS was 1, 10, or 50 mM NaCl, with pH6, or the pH was 6, 7 or 8 with 1 mM NaCl. Meanwhile, Sedimentation experiments for nZnO, adsorption of Cd(II) on soil, and nZnO, DLVO theory calculation for the same background condition were conducted. The presence of nZnO significantly increased the mobility of Cd(II) as a result of its strong adsorption capacity for nZnO-associated Cd(II). However, with the increase of IS, the co-transport of nZnO and Cd(II) was decreased and the retention of nZnO in the soil column due to more nZnO attended to aggregate and sediment during the transport and the decrease in the adsorption capacity of nZnO for Cd(II) by competition of Na⁺. When pH was 6, 7, and 8, the co-transport of nZnO and Cd(II) increased with higher pH due to the lower electrostatic attraction between nZnO and soil under higher pH. Meanwhile, the DLVO theory was fitted to describe the above co-transport process of nZnO and Cd(II). More attention should be paid to the presence of nZnO on the migration of Cd(II) in the natural soil to control the potential risk of nanoparticles and heavy metals to the environment. The risk of co-transport of nZnO and Cd(II) might be controlled by adjusting IS and pH in the soil solution.