Effects of organic matter on the specific adsorption of heavy metals by soil

The adsorption of heavy metals on soil from the Neihu Landfill Site in Taipei City was investigated in order to assess the groundwater pollution problems. The effects of soil organic matter and the behaviors of organic complexing ligands like EDTA and humic acid to the overall adsorption process were studied and discussed. For explaining the results, the pH value of soil system and the properties of the soil/aqueous interface were chosen as two significant and interacted factors for discussion. The concept of the specific adsorption mechanism was also demonstrated and discussed. The results showed that the complexing ligands existing in soil liquid phase have more influences than natural organic matter does. The competitive sequences of different organic matter contents indicated that organic functional sites preferentially bind with Cu and Cd. The presence of EDTA and humic acid which formed ligandlike complexes will reduce Cd adsorption efficiency. These effects will induce mobility and the fate of heavy metals in soils, such as bioavailability.