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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
05:35
Quantification of Metal Leaching in Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography
Published on: January 17, 2020
Leachability and metal-binding capacity in ageing landfill material
M Ostman1, O Wahlberg, A Mårtensson
1Department of Soil Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7014, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. monica.ostman@mv.slu.se
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)
|January 9, 2007
Summary
Aerating landfill material for 14 months increased its capacity to bind metals but also raised the solubility of some heavy metals. This suggests ageing landfills pose environmental risks due to changing metal mobility.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Geochemistry
- Waste Management
Background:
- Landfilled heavy metals pose long-term environmental risks.
- Simulating landfill ageing is crucial for understanding metal stability.
- Combined household and industrial waste landfills present complex challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability and mobility of heavy metals in landfill material during simulated ageing.
- To assess the impact of aeration on the chemical properties and metal binding capacities of landfill material.
- To predict the environmental risk associated with metal speciation in ageing landfills.
Main Methods:
- Aeration of landfill material for 14 months to simulate natural ageing.
- Measurement of pH and carbon content changes during aeration.
- Application of a four-stage sequential extraction technique to determine metal solubility.
- Use of equilibrium speciation models (Medusa) to analyze metal-organic matter interactions.
Main Results:
- Aeration decreased landfill material pH and carbon content.
- The capacity for electrostatic metal binding and copper complexation increased post-aeration.
- Increased solubility of sulfur and metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Zn) was observed.
- Organic matter showed significant metal binding capacity at high pH, but carbonate depletion increases mobility risk.
Conclusions:
- Landfill ageing processes alter metal binding capacities and solubility.
- Decreasing pH and carbonate content over time heighten the risk of heavy metal mobility.
- Ageing landfills represent a potential environmental risk due to dynamic changes in metal speciation and solubility.
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