Complexation with Dissolved Organic Matter and Solubility Control of Heavy Metals in a Sandy Soil

The complexation of heavy metals with dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the environment influences the solubility and mobility of these metals. In this paper, we measured the complexation of Cu, Cd, Zn, Ni, and Pb with DOM in the soil solution at pH 3.7-6.1 using a Donnan membrane technique. The results show that the DOM-complexed species is generally more significant for Cu and Pb than for Cd, Zn, and Ni. The ability of two advanced models for ion binding to humic substances, e.g., model VI and NICA-Donnan, in the simulation of metal binding to natural DOM was assessed by comparing the model predictions with the measurements. Using the default parameters of fulvic and humic acid, the predicted concentrations of free metal ions from the solution speciation calculation using the two models are mostly within 1 order of magnitude difference from the measured concentrations, except for Ni and Pb in a few samples. Furthermore, the solid-solution partitioning of the metals was simulated using a multisurface model, in which metal binding to soil organic matter, dissolved organic matter, clay, and iron hydroxides was accounted for using adsorption and cation exchange models (NICA-Donnan, Donnan, DDL, CD-MUSIC). The model estimation of the dissolved concentration of the metals is mostly within 1 order of magnitude difference from those measured except for Ni in some samples and Pb. The solubility of the metals depends mainly on the metal loading over soil sorbents, pH, and the concentration of inorganic ligands and DOM in the soil solution.