Sorption of copper and cadmium from the water-soluble fraction of an acid mine waste by two calcareous soils

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Soil Sci.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6247997

Dudley, L M; McLean, J E; Sims, R C; Jurinak, J J

The authors reacted the water extract of a milling waste, containing concentrations of Cu, Cd, and Zn in excess of USEPA (1974) drinking water limits in batch systems with two calcareous soils to determine the mechanisms and rates of Cu and Cd sorption. The pH of the extract was 4 to 4.5, and the predominant anion was SO/sub 4/. The computer program GEOCHEM was used to calculate metal activities in the equilibrated suspensions. Calculated activities of Cu and Cd indicated that the suspensions of soil containing 30% of carbonate were undersaturated with respect to oxide and carbonate pure solid phases at the lower levels of metal addition. At low levels of addition adsorption on carbonate surfaces apparently controlled solution concentrations. Carbonates dissolved from the soil containing 0.2% carbonates, and desorption with 0.01 M CaCl/sub 2/ suggested that cation exchange processes were involved in metal sorption. The sorption of Cu, Cd, and required 14 d to reach time-invariant concentrations in suspensions of the soil containing 30% carbonates, but only about 1 d in the 0.2% carbonate soil suspension.

• Research Organization: Utah State Univ., Logan (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6247997
• Journal Information: Soil Sci.; (United States), Journal Name: Soil Sci.; (United States) Vol. 145:3; ISSN SOSCA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACID MINE DRAINAGE
CADMIUM
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
CONTAMINATION
COPPER
ELEMENTS
ION EXCHANGE
METALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SOILS
SORPTION
TRANSITION ELEMENTS