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Comparison of metals extractability from Al/Fe-based drinking water treatment residuals

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Abstract

Recycling of drinking water treatment residuals (WTRs) as environment amendments has attracted substantial interest due to their productive reuse concomitant with waste minimization. In the present study, the extractability of metals within six Al/Fe-hydroxide-comprised WTRs collected throughout China was investigated using fractionation, in vitro digestion and the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). The results suggested that the major components and structure of the WTRs investigated were similar. The WTRs were enriched in Al, Fe, Ca, and Mg, also contained varying quantities of As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, K, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, and Zn, but Ag, Hg, Sb, and Se were not detected. Most of the metals within the WTRs were largely non-extractable using the European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) procedure, but many metals exhibited high bioaccessibility based on in vitro digestion. However, the WTRs could be classified as non-hazardous according to the TCLP assessment method used by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Further analysis showed the communication factor, which is calculated as the ratio of total extractable metal by BCR procedure to the total metal, for most metals in the six WTRs, was similar, whereas the factor for Ba, Mn, Sr, and Zn varied substantially. Moreover, metals in the WTRs investigated had different risk assessment code. In summary, recycling of WTRs is subject to regulation based on assessment of risk due to metals prior to practical application.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51278055; 51179008), the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (2012003110027), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2012YBXS03).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Changhui Wang, Leilei Bai & Yuansheng Pei

  2. The School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Laura A. Wendling

  3. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China

    Changhui Wang

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  1. Changhui Wang
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  2. Leilei Bai
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Correspondence to Yuansheng Pei.

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Responsible editor: Céline Guéguen

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Wang, C., Bai, L., Pei, Y. et al. Comparison of metals extractability from Al/Fe-based drinking water treatment residuals. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 13528–13538 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3300-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3300-2

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