A Field Lysimeter Study of Heavy Metal Movement Down the Profile of Soils with Multiple Metal Pollution During Chelate-Enhanced Phytoremediation

Abstract

The agricultural soils near a copper smelter in southeast China were found to be highly contaminated with Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd. Metal migration from the soil to groundwater presents an environmental risk that depends on the physicochemical properties of the contaminated soils. Soil solution samples were obtained using lysimeters from a loam soil with multiple metal pollutions over a period of about 1 yr. A field lysimeter study was also conducted to examine the potential use of (S, S′)-ethylenediamine-N, N′-disuccinic acid trisodium salt (EDDSNa₃) in chelate-enhanced phytoremedation and to evaluate the leaching of heavy metals. The average heavy metal concentrations in the soil solution (without the addition of EDDS) were high (e.g., 0.15 mg Pb L⁻¹ at a 50-cm depth) compared to the upper limit for protection of groundwater in China, but varied during the sampling period. Cu concentrations were not correlated with pH or dissolved organic carbon (DOC), but Zn and Cd concentrations were related to soil solution pH. EDDS enhanced metal solubility in the soil, but plant metal uptake by Elsholtzia splendens Nakai did not increase accordingly. There may be an increasing risk of groundwater pollution by Cu and the EDDS enhanced phytoremediation technique needs to be carefully applied to minimize this side effect.

KEY WORDS:

• soil
• heavy metal contamination
• phytoremediation
• EDDS
• movement
• lysimeter

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors are grateful for grant-aided support from the Program of Knowledge Innovative Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant KZCX3-SW-429), from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 40301046 and 40125005), and from the Major State Basic Research and Development Program of the People's Republic of China (Grants 2004CB720403 and 2002CB410809).