Influence of Reducing Conditions on Solubility of Trace Metals in Contaminated Soils

Dissolved trace metals Cd, Pb, Zn, andother solutes were determined after reducingconditions have been imposed to samples of anagricultural polluted soil. The ploughed layer wassampled as undisturbed blocks for floodingexperiments, and sieved samples were incubated inaqueous suspensions at controlled pH (pH 6.2) underdifferent redox conditions. Redox potential and pH,concentrations of major and trace elements, andorganic and inorganic ligands, were measured in thesolutions. Their chemical speciation was calculated byusing the programme Soilchem.These experiments and calculations have shown that pHvariations definitively influence trace metalsolubility, whatever they are induced by reductivedissolution, organic acid formation, or otherprocesses, and that strong acidification can beobtained with well buffered soil when about 1%available carbon is anaerobically transformed intoorganic acids. The organic acids also intervene bycomplexation, particularly for Pb. On another hand,denitrification can limit these effects by consumingprotons and organic substances. Given a steady pH,reducing conditions enhance the mobility of tracemetals, at first by dissolution of manganic and ferricoxides; Pb appeared more sensitive to these processesthan Zn, and finally Cd. As a general rule,hydromorphy in a well-buffered contaminated soil at afirst step should increase the mobility of divalenttrace metals, by decreasing pH and reducing Mn and Feoxides, but prolonged flooding can lead to fix tracemetals again, rather by re-adsorption or precipitationphenomena than by formation of insoluble sulphides.