Impact of pH on Selectivity Adsorption by Cement and the Retention and Release of Lead and Cadmium in Single and Double-Component Systems in Cement-based Stabilization/Solidification

The presence of heavy metal contaminants in clays causes changes in soil properties, which increases the risk of contaminant transport into the clay layer. Various techniques have been developed recently to remediate contaminated soil. These methods include electrokinetics, biological treatment, and immobilization. Among them, cement-based stabilization/solidification technique is very common. Generally, cement-based systems are frequently used because of their affordability and great durability. This method uses the two mechanisms of chemical stabilization and physical solidification to retain heavy metals and decrease the mobility of contaminants. Even though several researches have been performed to address the different aspects of cement-based solidification/stabilization, there has been a lack of research on the stabilization/solidification of heavy metals in the presence of two different heavy metal ions. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine to what extent the pH variations affect lead and cadmium retention and release in single and double-component cement-based stabilization/solidification systems. To accomplish the aforementioned objective, first, the retention capacity of lead and cadmium, in cement-based S/S of contaminated bentonite in single and double-component heavy metal systems is investigated. The effect of pH on the stabilization/solidification process was determined by conducting a series of XRD tests in order to investigate and differentiate the stabilization and solidification mechanisms. In the next step, the amount of released cadmium and lead ions during the TCLP test was determined in single and double-component systems in order to investigate the effect of pH and the simultaneous presence of lead and cadmium in the release of these heavy metals. According to the achieved results, the maximum retention capacities of lead and cadmium occur in the pH ranges of 8.5 to 11 and 10 to 12, respectively. Furthermore, retention in the double-component system is always lower than that of the single-component system, assuming a similar initial concentration. In addition, XRD results illustrate that the intensity of the peaks of cadmium and lead chemical compounds has increased for the samples their pHs take place in the safe zones. This indicates an increase in the contribution of the stabilization mechanism. According to the results of this paper, at a similar contaminant concentration, the intensity of the C-S-H peak increases with an increase in cement percentages. This indicates progress in the contribution of the solidification mechanism in the retention of heavy metals. Still, the release of these heavy metals is always lower than the maximum allowable value reported by the US EPA in the above-mentioned pH ranges. Moreover, the results of this research show that the amount of released cadmium and lead in the double-component system is more than that of the single-component system, assuming similar initial concentrations. Based on the definition of the safe zone, in the defined pH range, the contaminant is retained during the TCLP test mainly by chemical stabilization (precipitation). In fact, in the above range, an increase in the amount of cement has not shown a significant effect on the amount of heavy metal desorption. This finding is supported by the results of retention tests.