Intra-soil waste recycling provides safety of environment

Environ Geochem Health. 2022 Apr;44(4):1355-1376. doi: 10.1007/s10653-021-01023-9. Epub 2021 Jul 9.

Abstract

Amelioration and remediation technology was developed for phosphogypsum utilization in Haplic Chernozem of South-European facies (Rostov Region). The technology comprises phosphogypsum dispersed application into the soil layer of 20-45 cm during intra-soil milling. In the model experiment, the phosphogypsum doses 0 (control), 10, 20, and 40 t ha-1 were studied. The Cd thermodynamic forms in soil solution were calculated via the developed mathematical chemical-thermodynamic model and program ION-3. The form of ion in soil solution (or water extract) was considered accounting the calcium-carbonate equilibrium (CCE) and association of ion pairs CaCO30; CaSO40, MgCO30, MgSO40, CaHCO3+, MgHCO3+, NaCO3-, NaSO4-, CaOH+, MgOH+. For calculation of the equilibrium of microelements concentration in soil solution ion including heavy metals (HMs), the coefficient of microelement association kas was proposed. According to calculations, Cd2+ ion in soil solution was mostly bounded to associates CdOH+, partly to associates CdCO30 and CdHCO3+. The calculated kas of Cd was 1.24 units in the control option of experiment and decreased to 0.95 units at phosphogypsum dose 40 t ha-1. The ratio of "active [Cd2+] to total Cd" reduced from 33.5% in control option to 28.0% in the option of phosphogypsum dose 40 t ha-1. The biogeochemical barrier for penetration of HMs from soil to plant roots was high after application of phosphogypsum. According to calculation by ION-3, the standard soil environmental limitations overestimate the toxicity of Cd in soil solution. New decision for intra-soil milling and simultaneous application of phosphogypsum was developed to provide the environmentally safe waste recycling.

Keywords: Biogeosystem Technique; Calcium-carbonate equilibrium; Environmentally safe phosphogypsum intra-soil recycling; Heavy metals; Ion association; Soil solution.

MeSH terms

  • Metals, Heavy* / analysis
  • Plants
  • Recycling
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants* / analysis

Substances

  • Metals, Heavy
  • Soil
  • Soil Pollutants