The use of selective extraction procedures for soil remediation

摘要

The interaction of contaminants with soil is a very complex phenomenon and means are required to understand this matter more thoroughly. To determine the speciation of metals in soils (the distribution of elements among chemical forms or species), specific extracts are used in a process called sequential selective extraction. This method can be used to determine if heavy metals are able to be removed by remediation techniques or to predict removal efficiencies. In this paper, we show that sequential extraction can be employed for the evaluation of the most appropriate soil remediation technology and for monitoring remediation procedures. Exchangeable, carbonate, reducible oxide and organic fractions are amenable to soil washing techniques and that residually bound contaminants are not economical or feasible to remove. This information is important in designing the most appropriate conditions for soil washing.