Arsenic Speciation and Extraction and the Significance of Biodegradable Acid on Arsenic Removal—An Approach for Remediation of Arsenic-Contaminated Soil

Thinh Nguyen Van, Yasuhito Osanai, Hai Do Nguyen and Kiyoshi Kurosawa
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Thinh Nguyen Van: Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Global Society, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Yasuhito Osanai: Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Global Society, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Hai Do Nguyen: Soil Science Department, Faculty of Land Management, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi 100-000, Vietnam
Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: A series of arsenic remediation tests were conducted using a washing method with biodegradable organic acids, including oxalic, citric and ascorbic acids. Approximately 80% of the arsenic in one sample was removed under the effect of the ascorbic and oxalic acid combination, which was roughly twice higher than the effectiveness of the ascorbic and citric acid combination under the same conditions. The soils treated using biodegradable acids had low remaining concentrations of arsenic that are primarily contained in the crystalline iron oxides and organic matter fractions. The close correlation between extracted arsenic and extracted iron/aluminum suggested that arsenic was removed via the dissolution of Fe/Al oxides in soils. The fractionation of arsenic in four contaminated soils was investigated using a modified sequential extraction method. Regarding fractionation, we found that most of the soil contained high proportions of arsenic (As) in exchangeable fractions with phosphorus, amorphous oxides, and crystalline iron oxides, while a small amount of the arsenic fraction was organic matter-bound. This study indicated that biodegradable organic acids can be considered as a means for arsenic-contaminated soil remediation.

Keywords: arsenic contamination; sequential extraction; biodegradable organic acid; soil washing; soil remediation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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