Immobilisation of metal(loid)s in two contaminated soils using micro and nano zerovalent iron particles: evaluating the long-term stability

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the immobilisation of metal(loid)s in two differently contaminated soils using micro zerovalent iron (ZVI) and nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) particles. Chromated copper arsenate-contaminated soil contained high amounts of As, Cu, Cr, and Zn, whereas mining-contaminated soil contained high amounts of As, Cu, and Pb. Contaminated soils were amended using 2% ZVI and nZVI. As determined by the leaching procedures, nZVI was more efficient in immobilising all the studied metal(loid)s in the soils compared to ZVI. The greatest immobilisation was achieved for As in both soils. The long-term stability of immobilised metal(loid)s was studied in mining-contaminated soil by performing thermal oxidation (ageing). In the ZVI and nZVI-treated soils, high retention results were achieved for As and Cu, whereas in the ZVI and nZVI-treated soils, significant desorption of Pb was observed. The results also showed that retention of metal(loid)s over a long period of time could be more effective in soils treated with ZVI, as the crystallisation of Fe in ZVI-treated soil was to a lesser extent compared to the crystallisation of Fe in nZVI-treated soil.