Mobility and storage sinks for chromium and other metals in soils impacted by leather tannery wastes

Abstract

Leather tanneries around the world, including China, introduce chromium (Cr) and other metals into the environment. In China, the population pressure compels the utilization of every piece of available land for food production. In this study, we investigated the content, leachability and possible storage sinks for Cr and other metals in soils around facilities of leather industry in southern China. It was found that Cr in soils impacted by tannery can be as high as 2484 mg Cr kg⁻¹ soil, and the mean contents of other metals such as Zn (214 mg Zn kg⁻¹ soil), Cd (5.4 mg Cd kg⁻¹ soil), As (17 mg As kg⁻¹ soil) exceeded the soil quality standards and guidelines in China and Canada. Simulated leaching studies (i.e., Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure) indicated that these soils could release Cr and other metals in concentrations above the environmental quality guidelines and standards for water in China and Canada. As a result, the mobility of metals from these soils can potentially contaminate both groundwater and surface water. We also found differential leachability of metals with soil properties such as total metal and total carbon contents. Principal component analysis of the total contents of 32 elements showed that the possible major sinks for Cr are organic matter and oxides of Fe/Mn/Al, while sulfates and phosphates are potential storage of Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb. The information obtained from this study can be valuable for the restoration of ecosystem functions (i.e., food production) in the study area.

Effects of Pretreatment Methods of Wheat Straw on Adsorption of Cd(II) from Waterlogged Paddy Soil

“…What lay behind the pH changes of soil samples might be that WS was hydrolyzed when it was mixed with the soils, and organic matters in the WS would be decomposed by microorganisms in the soil and those decomposition products might neutralize the acid in the soil samples [30,31]. When the WS was decomposed, the decarboxylation of organic anions of WS caused soil pH to increase, and the association/dissociation of organic compounds could cause the pH of the soil to rise and drop, depending on the initial pH of the soils [32]. In the first 20 days, those microorganisms in the soil decomposed the organic matters to a series of intermediate products that contain organic acids, which would increase the pH value of the soil [33].…”

Formation and Immobilization of Cr(VI) Species in Long-Term Tannery Waste Contaminated Soils

“…The study area is located at Shuitou town, Pingyang county, Zhejiang Province, in the southeast of People’s Republic of China. Over many years of continued leather tanning activities, the study area has been heavily impacted by Cr-containing tannery wastes . Because of the spatial heterogeneity of Cr contamination, a hand-held XRF spectrometer (Genius 9000 XRF, Skyray Instruments USA) capable of in situ determination of heavy metal concentrations was used to direct soil sampling.…”

A Systematic Framework for Collecting Site-Specific Sampling and Survey Data to Support Analyses of Health Impacts from Land-Based Pollution in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…Tanning activities generate large amounts of wastewater containing salts, process chemicals, and organic solid wastes, releasing Cr, Pb, As, and Cd to soil or surface water, as well as impacting chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biological oxygen demand (BOD). Migration of CoCs can impact local agriculture or drinking water [ 42 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”