Soils of the Ribeira Valley (Brazil) as Environmental Protection Barriers: Characterization and Adsorption of Lead and Cadmium

Jéssica Pelinsom Marques, Carlos Manoel Pedro Vaz, Joel Barbujiani Sígolo and Valéria Guimarães Silvestre Rodrigues
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Jéssica Pelinsom Marques: Department of Geotechnical Engineering, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Carlos 13566-590, Brazil
Carlos Manoel Pedro Vaz: Embrapa Instrumentation, São Carlos 13560-970, Brazil
Joel Barbujiani Sígolo: Institute of Geosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-080, Brazil
Valéria Guimarães Silvestre Rodrigues: Department of Geotechnical Engineering, São Carlos School of Engineering, University of São Paulo, São Carlos 13566-590, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: In waste disposal areas, soils can be used as environmental protection barriers to retain potentially toxic metals. Although most studies focus on lateritic soils, it is still of interest to evaluate other soil types, aiming to select the best materials among those available near the contamination area, reducing costs and construction efforts. This paper characterizes and evaluates the behavior of 13 soil materials collected in a region (Ribeira Valley, Brazil) with a history of improper mining waste disposal for the retention of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) and their possible use as environmental protection barriers. All soils were acidic, kaolinitic, with negatively charged particles. Soils were grouped into three classes according to soil properties, such as particle size distribution, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and specific surface area (SSA), using cluster and principal component analysis. The Pb and Cd adsorption capacities ranged from 288 to 479 µg g −1 and 207 to 326 µg g −1 , respectively, obtained from batch equilibrium tests. In general, all soils presented suitable characteristics for the retention of Pb and Cd, but four of them (1 to 4) showed the highest adsorption capacities, probably due to their larger SSA, CEC and percentage of fines (clay + silt).

Keywords: contamination; potentially toxic metals; cluster analysis; principal component analysis; batch equilibrium tests (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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