Lead Transport in Soils Amended with Municipal Solid Waste Ash

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the major environmental problems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Many efforts have been made to reduce and recover MSW, but land disposal is still the most popular option. The current research aims to investigate the effects of municipal solid waste ash (MSWA) application rates on the mobility of Pb by 2 soils with their different physical and chemical properties. The soil was amended with MSWA at the rate of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5% (w/w). Pb adsorption experiments were carried out by mixing 1.0 g of samples with initial Pb concentration varying from 0 to 300 mg L-1. The results indicated that distribution coefficient (K-d) values of Pb2+ on sandy loam soil were higher than those on sandy loam soil. The application rate of 5% MSWA to loamy sand and sandy loam soils resulted in increases of K-d values by 36.6% and 29.0% more than the control soil (0%). MSWA amendment is most effective in reducing Pb mobility in the studied soils. The results suggest that MSWA could be used as a low-cost adsorbent for Pb2+ of contaminated soils.