ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Using Phosphorus and Zeolite to Immobilize
Lead in Two Contrasting Contaminated
Urban Soils
Junhui Li1,2, Chongjian Jia1, Ying Lu1, Hojae Shim3
More details
Hide details
1College of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, South China Agricultural University,
Guangzhou 510642, China
2Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau,
Macau SAR 999078, China
Submission date: 2015-12-27
Final revision date: 2016-02-23
Acceptance date: 2016-02-23
Publication date: 2016-07-22
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2016;25(4):1589-1594
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Lead (Pb) contamination of urban soil is a threat to human health, and reducing the risk of Pb-contaminated
soil is a continuing international concern. Soil stabilization technique has been considered as a
promising remediation technique to facilitate the immobilization of Pb in soil. The purpose of this study
was to evaluate the effects of different amendments, including H3PO4, Ca(H2PO4)2, H3PO4+Ca(H2PO4)2, and
zeolite on Pb levels in two naturally contaminated urban soils. Pb speciation and bioavailability was evaluated
by the sequential extraction test (SET) and the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) after
a two-month incubation. The application of phosphorus amendments significantly reduced the TCLP-Pb
concentration in two soil types and the SET-Pb in Soil 1 (alkaline but with high Pb level), whereas the zeolite
amendment diminished the SET-Pb in two soil types and the TCLP-Pb in Soil 1. Nevertheless, regardless
of the soil type, the application of phosphorus amendments resulted in a significant increase of residual Pb.
These phosphate amendments may be a viable strategy in the in situ remediation of Pb contamination in
urban soils.