Ethylenediamine- N, N ′-Disuccinic Acid (EDDS)—Enhanced Flushing Optimization for Contaminated Agricultural Soil Remediation and Assessment of Prospective Cu and Zn Transport

Marco Race, Alberto Ferraro, Massimiliano Fabbricino, Agostino La Marca, Antonio Panico, Danilo Spasiano, Alice Tognacchini and Francesco Pirozzi
Additional contact information
Marco Race: Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Alberto Ferraro: Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, 03043 Cassino, Italy
Massimiliano Fabbricino: Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Agostino La Marca: Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Antonio Panico: Telematic University Pegaso, Piazza Trieste e Trento 48, 80132 Naples, Italy
Danilo Spasiano: Department of Environmental, Building, Civil Engineering and Chemistry, Polytechnic University of Bari, Via Orabona n.4, 70126 Bari, Italy
Alice Tognacchini: Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Institute of Soil Research, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
Francesco Pirozzi: Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an experimental study aimed at investigating the effect of operative parameters on the efficiency of a soil flushing process, conducted on real contaminated soil containing high amounts of Cu and Zn. Soil flushing tests were carried out with Ethylenediamine- N , N ′-disuccinic acid (EDDS) as a flushing agent due to its high biodegradability and environmentally friendly characteristics. Process parameters such as Empty-Bed Contact Time (EBCT) and EDDS solution molarity were varied from 21–33 h and from 0.36–3.6 mM, respectively. Effects on the mobility of cations such as Fe and Mn were also investigated. Results showed that very high performances can be obtained at [EDDS] = 3.6 mM and EBCT = 33 h. In these conditions, in fact, the amount of removed Cu was 53%, and the amount of removed Zn was 46%. Metal distribution at different depths from the top surface revealed that Cu has higher mobility than Zn. The process results were strongly dependent on the exchange of metals due to the different stability constants of the EDDS complexes. Finally, results from a comparative study showed that soil washing treatment reached the same removal efficiency of the flushing process in a shorter time but required a larger amount of the EDDS solution.

Keywords: metal mobility; soil flushing; soil reclamation; agricultural soil; EDDS deficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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