Heavy metal sequential extraction methods--a modification for tropical soils

Sequential extractions of metals can be useful to study metal distributions in various soil fractions. Although several sequential extraction procedures have been suggested in the literature, most were developed for temperate soils and may not be suitable for tropical soils with high contents of Mn and Fe oxides. The objective of this study was to develop a sequential fractionation procedure for Cu and Zn in tropical soils. Extractions were performed on surface (0–20 cm) samples of ten representative soils of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Chemically reactive Mn forms were satisfactorily assessed by the new modified procedure. Amorphous and crystalline Fe oxides were more selectively extracted in a new two-step extraction. Soil-born Zn and Cu were primarily associated with recalcitrant soil fractions. The proposed procedure provided more detailed information on metal distribution in tropical soils and better characterization of the various components of the soil matrix. The new procedure is expected to be an important tool for predicting the potential effects of environmental changes and land application of metals on the redistribution of chemical forms of metals in tropical soils.