Soil-metal complexes in contaminated soil
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Advisor
Nina Goodey
Access Type
Event
Start Date
26-4-2023 11:00 AM
End Date
26-4-2023 12:00 PM
Description
Metal contamination of soils which can result from anthropogenic interference is a global issue. The presence of metals in soils can inhibit soil function and interfere with the soils ability to support plant life. Our study site, Liberty State Park (LSP) in Northern New Jersey, has a section in the park that is closed to the public due to of elevated levels of metal contamination. Despite the presence of metals in the soil, much of the area supports plant life and has high functionality while some areas remain barren. Previous work done at LSP has shown that the distribution of metal contaminants along depth differs between barren and forested soil. The barren soil (25R) at LSP has a “metal cap” with significantly higher concentrations of metals located at the top (0-2cm) of the soil. This project will try to determine how the metal contaminants interact with the soil, what soil-metal complexes are formed, and how those complexes affect soil health and metal distribution. To do this, we will collect soil core samples from LSP, divide the cores into 2 cm cross sections, and analyze each cross section. Analysis methods will include selective sequential extraction (SSE) to determine mobility and bioavailability of metals, X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine crystalline structure of metals, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to determine the local atomic structures around metals. We expect that the combined use of these methods will result in some information about the soil-metal complexes formed and how they differ throughout depth.
Soil-metal complexes in contaminated soil
Metal contamination of soils which can result from anthropogenic interference is a global issue. The presence of metals in soils can inhibit soil function and interfere with the soils ability to support plant life. Our study site, Liberty State Park (LSP) in Northern New Jersey, has a section in the park that is closed to the public due to of elevated levels of metal contamination. Despite the presence of metals in the soil, much of the area supports plant life and has high functionality while some areas remain barren. Previous work done at LSP has shown that the distribution of metal contaminants along depth differs between barren and forested soil. The barren soil (25R) at LSP has a “metal cap” with significantly higher concentrations of metals located at the top (0-2cm) of the soil. This project will try to determine how the metal contaminants interact with the soil, what soil-metal complexes are formed, and how those complexes affect soil health and metal distribution. To do this, we will collect soil core samples from LSP, divide the cores into 2 cm cross sections, and analyze each cross section. Analysis methods will include selective sequential extraction (SSE) to determine mobility and bioavailability of metals, X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine crystalline structure of metals, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to determine the local atomic structures around metals. We expect that the combined use of these methods will result in some information about the soil-metal complexes formed and how they differ throughout depth.