Feature of lead complexed with dissolved organic matter on lead immobilization by hydroxyapatite in aqueous solutions...

Lead (Pb) complexed with dissolved organic matter (DOM-Pb) is a dominant Pb species in soils, but it is not clear that DOM-Pb is stably immobilized by hydroxyapatite. This study investigates how DOM-Pb is immobilized by hydroxyapatite in both aqueous solutions and soils. A sorption test showed that 69.5% of DOM-Pb is removed in an aqueous solution, but less DOM-Pb is retained by hydroxyapatite compared with Pb ions. On the basis of the ratio of Pb and dissolved organic carbon before and after the sorption test, 7% of Pb was retained as DOM-Pb by hydroxyapatite, but 93% of Pb was dissociated from DOM-Pb, and was sorbed as Pb ions. The concentrations of water-soluble Pb re-released were higher in the DOM-Pb solution than those in the Pb ion solution in sandy loam soil with hydroxyapatite. A column-leaching test that flowed the DOM-Pb solution showed that Pb concentrations in leached water from sandy loam soil gradually increased after the middle stage of the test despite the presence of hydroxyapatite. The amount of water-soluble Pb re-released from soils with and without the hydroxyapatite that flowed the DOM-Pb solution was the same as or greater than that without the hydroxyapatite that flowed the Pb ion solution. This study concludes that in soils with low Pb sorption ability, some of the Pb retained as DOM-Pb is water soluble and possibly re-released despite the presence of hydroxyapatite, although most Pb in DOM-Pb is stably sorbed as Pb ions.