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Electrochemical remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils
Author(s) -
Orcino Michael A.,
Bricka R. Mark
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
remediation journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 1520-6831
pISSN - 1051-5658
DOI - 10.1002/rem.3440090104
Subject(s) - electrokinetic remediation , electrokinetic phenomena , environmental remediation , soil water , environmental chemistry , contamination , metal , soil contamination , citric acid , chemistry , nitric acid , human decontamination , environmental science , environmental engineering , waste management , soil science , inorganic chemistry , ecology , organic chemistry , biology , engineering
Over the years, many soils have been contaminated with toxic heavy metals as a result of a variety of industrial and military activities. Electrokinetic soil treatment is an emerging technology that could prove to be very effective in the remediation of these sites. “Real‐world” heavy metal contaminated (Pb(II), Cd(II), and Cr(III)) soils from three military sites with varying soil properties were subjected to electrokinetic treatment in the laboratory. Metal extractants (chelating agents and acids) were studied and found to be effective in enhancing the electrokinetic process. Results indicated that heavy metal removal efficiencies varied in the three soils tested. In one case, removal efficiencies of 90 percent and 60 percent were obtained for Cd and Cr, respectively, for the nitric acid amended experiments. For another case, over 60 percent of the total Pb in the system was deposited near the cathode for the non‐amended and the citric‐acid amended tests. Conversely, in the third case, the electrokinetic soil‐washing treatment process failed to produce significant removal of any metal contaminant. The discrepancies that exist between the metal removal results of the three soils were attributed to the different physiochemical characteristics of each soil.