Mobility and fractionation of arsenic, chromium and copper in thermally treated soil

Abstract

Thermal treatment is used to remediate soil co-contaminated with organic and inorganic contaminants. It destroys organic contaminants, but the remaining inorganic contaminants require further treatment. In this study the effects of thermal treatment on the mobility, speciation and chemical fractionation of As, Cr and Cu in a CCA-polluted soil were evaluated by leaching tests, As speciation assays and a sequential extraction procedure. The soil was sieved into four size fractions (<0.125, 0.125-0.250, 0.250-0.500 and 0.500-1.0 mm), each of which was treated at 800°C and analysed in comparison with the untreated soil. The leaching of As and Cr increased by factors of 18-40 and 2-23, respectively, while the mobility of Cu decreased 12-14-fold after treatment. The concentration of As(V) in pore water of the finest soil fraction increased 19-fold, whereas that of As(III) remained constant. The treatment reduced As, Cr and Cu associated with the reducible soil fraction. In addition, it increased the proportions of As and Cr (slightly) associated with the exchangeable and acid-soluble soil fractions, and the proportions of Cu and Cr (substantially) associated with the residual fraction.