Heavy metal retention and partitioning in a large-scale soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) system used for wastewater reclamation

Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) of wastewater relies on extensive biogeochemical processes in the soil and aquifer to achieve large-scale and economic reclamation of municipal effluents. Removal of trace metals from the wastewater is a prime objective in the operation, but the long-term sustainability of the adsorptive filtration capacity of the soils is an open question. Solid/solution partitioning (measured by the distribution coefficient, Kd) and solid/solid partitioning (measured by selective sequential dissolution, SSD) of heavy metals were measured in soils sampled from active recharge basins in a wastewater reclamation plant and were compared to the adjacent pristine dune. Kd values for the adsorption of Cu, Ni and Zn, measured in short-term adsorption experiments positively and significantly correlated with solution pH. Quantitative estimation of Cu, Ni and Zn adsorption on multi-sorbents indicated that surface adsorption and precipitation on Fe oxides and/or carbonate may be the major mechanisms of metal retention in these soils. SSD analyses of metal partitioning in soils exposed to not, vert, similar20 yr of effluent recharge showed that all solid-phase components, including the most stable ‘residual’ component, competed for and retained added Cu and Zn. Copper preferentially partitioned into the oxide component (32.0% of the soil-accumulated metal) while Zn preferentially partitioned into the carbonate component (51.6% of the soil-accumulated metal).