Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability

Metal-salt amended soils (MA, n = 23), and historically-contaminated urban soils from two English cities (Urban, n = 50), were investigated to assess the effects of soil properties and contaminant source on metal lability and solubility. A stable isotope dilution method, with and without a resin pu...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mao, L.C., Young, S.D., Tye, A.M., Bailey, E.H.
Format: Article
Published: Elsevier 2017
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47039/
_version_ 1848797454190772224
author Mao, L.C.
Young, S.D.
Tye, A.M.
Bailey, E.H.
author_facet Mao, L.C.
Young, S.D.
Tye, A.M.
Bailey, E.H.
author_sort Mao, L.C.
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Metal-salt amended soils (MA, n = 23), and historically-contaminated urban soils from two English cities (Urban, n = 50), were investigated to assess the effects of soil properties and contaminant source on metal lability and solubility. A stable isotope dilution method, with and without a resin purification step, was used to measure the lability of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. For all five metals in MA soils, lability (%E-values) could be reasonably well predicted from soil pH value with a simple logistic equation. However, there was evidence of continuing time-dependent fixation of Cd and Zn in the MA soils, following more than a decade of storage under air-dried conditions, mainly in high pH soils. All five metals in MA soils remained much more labile than in Urban soils, strongly indicating an effect of contaminant source on metal lability in the latter. Metal solubility was predicted for both sets of soil by the geochemical speciation model WHAM-VII, using E-values as an input variable. For soils with low metal solution concentrations, over-estimation of Cd, Ni and Zn solubility was associated with binding to the Fe oxide fraction while accurate prediction of Cu solubility was dependent on humic acid content. Lead solubility was most poorly described, especially in the Urban soils. Generally, slightly poorer estimation of metal solubility was observed in Urban soils, possibly due to a greater incidence of high pH values. The use of isotopically exchangeable metal to predict solubility is appropriate both for historically contaminated soils and where amendment with soluble forms of metal is used, as in toxicological trials. However, the major limitation to predicting solubility may lie with the accuracy of model input variables such as humic acid and Fe oxide contents where there is often a reliance on relatively crude analytical estimations of these variables.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T20:04:08Z
format Article
id nottingham-47039
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T20:04:08Z
publishDate 2017
publisher Elsevier
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-470392020-05-04T19:08:19Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47039/ Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability Mao, L.C. Young, S.D. Tye, A.M. Bailey, E.H. Metal-salt amended soils (MA, n = 23), and historically-contaminated urban soils from two English cities (Urban, n = 50), were investigated to assess the effects of soil properties and contaminant source on metal lability and solubility. A stable isotope dilution method, with and without a resin purification step, was used to measure the lability of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. For all five metals in MA soils, lability (%E-values) could be reasonably well predicted from soil pH value with a simple logistic equation. However, there was evidence of continuing time-dependent fixation of Cd and Zn in the MA soils, following more than a decade of storage under air-dried conditions, mainly in high pH soils. All five metals in MA soils remained much more labile than in Urban soils, strongly indicating an effect of contaminant source on metal lability in the latter. Metal solubility was predicted for both sets of soil by the geochemical speciation model WHAM-VII, using E-values as an input variable. For soils with low metal solution concentrations, over-estimation of Cd, Ni and Zn solubility was associated with binding to the Fe oxide fraction while accurate prediction of Cu solubility was dependent on humic acid content. Lead solubility was most poorly described, especially in the Urban soils. Generally, slightly poorer estimation of metal solubility was observed in Urban soils, possibly due to a greater incidence of high pH values. The use of isotopically exchangeable metal to predict solubility is appropriate both for historically contaminated soils and where amendment with soluble forms of metal is used, as in toxicological trials. However, the major limitation to predicting solubility may lie with the accuracy of model input variables such as humic acid and Fe oxide contents where there is often a reliance on relatively crude analytical estimations of these variables. Elsevier 2017-09-22 Article PeerReviewed Mao, L.C., Young, S.D., Tye, A.M. and Bailey, E.H. (2017) Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability. Environmental Pollution . ISSN 1873-6424 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117318444?via%3Dihub doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2017.09.013 doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2017.09.013
spellingShingle Mao, L.C.
Young, S.D.
Tye, A.M.
Bailey, E.H.
Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability
title Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability
title_full Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability
title_fullStr Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability
title_full_unstemmed Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability
title_short Predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability
title_sort predicting trace metal solubility and fractionation in urban soils from isotopic exchangeability
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47039/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47039/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47039/