Sequential extraction of heavy metals in barren soil from Liberty State Park
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Nina Goodey
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 1:30 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 2:29 PM
Description
Metal contamination in soils is a significant threat to the health of our environment. When soil is contaminated by heavy metals, soil health and function can be weakened, hindering the ability to support plant life. We aimed to analyze how concentrations of metal contaminants differed across different soil depths. To investigate this, soil was collected from Liberty State Park, the site of a former railroad yard in New Jersey, where metal contamination has caused a portion of the park to become barren. Five soil cores were collected from this barren region from the top 0-2 centimeters and bottom 8-10 centimeters of soil. A sequential extraction was then performed to separate the metals based on how they are chemically bound to the soil. Our extraction divided the metals into four fractions: exchangeable, acid-soluble, associated with reducible soil compounds, and associated with oxidizable soil compounds. The majority of the metals in the soil were extracted from the reducible fraction (step 3). For example, the iron (Fe) concentration in the first step (exchangeable) of our extraction was 955±89 mg/kg in the top core samples while the third step (reducible) had an Fe concentration of roughly 18,486±2498mg/kg. This trend was similar for almost all of the metals that were measured. The results of our analyses will provide insight into the mobility, bioavailability, and environmental impact of metals in contaminated soils, and the development of potential remediation strategies.
Sequential extraction of heavy metals in barren soil from Liberty State Park
Metal contamination in soils is a significant threat to the health of our environment. When soil is contaminated by heavy metals, soil health and function can be weakened, hindering the ability to support plant life. We aimed to analyze how concentrations of metal contaminants differed across different soil depths. To investigate this, soil was collected from Liberty State Park, the site of a former railroad yard in New Jersey, where metal contamination has caused a portion of the park to become barren. Five soil cores were collected from this barren region from the top 0-2 centimeters and bottom 8-10 centimeters of soil. A sequential extraction was then performed to separate the metals based on how they are chemically bound to the soil. Our extraction divided the metals into four fractions: exchangeable, acid-soluble, associated with reducible soil compounds, and associated with oxidizable soil compounds. The majority of the metals in the soil were extracted from the reducible fraction (step 3). For example, the iron (Fe) concentration in the first step (exchangeable) of our extraction was 955±89 mg/kg in the top core samples while the third step (reducible) had an Fe concentration of roughly 18,486±2498mg/kg. This trend was similar for almost all of the metals that were measured. The results of our analyses will provide insight into the mobility, bioavailability, and environmental impact of metals in contaminated soils, and the development of potential remediation strategies.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.