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Environmental Engineering Science
The Impact of Waste Compost-Based Soil Amendments on the Leaching Behavior of a Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil

To cite this article:
René van Herwijnen, Abir Al-Tabbaa, Tony R. Hutchings, Andy J. Moffat, Sabeha K. Ouki, Mike L. Johns. Environmental Engineering Science. September 2007, 24(7): 897-904. doi:10.1089/ees.2006.0139.

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René van Herwijnen 
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, United Kingdom
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3RA, United Kingdom
School of Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
Forest Research, Land Regeneration and Urban Greening Group, Farnham Surrey, GU10 4LH, United Kingdom
Abir Al-Tabbaa 
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, United Kingdom
University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, UK. Phone: +44 1223 332715; Fax: +44 1223 339713; E-mail: aa22@cam.ac.uk
Tony R. Hutchings 
Forest Research, Land Regeneration and Urban Greening Group, Farnham Surrey, GU10 4LH, United Kingdom
Andy J. Moffat 
Forest Research, Land Regeneration and Urban Greening Group, Farnham Surrey, GU10 4LH, United Kingdom
Sabeha K. Ouki 
School of Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
Mike L. Johns 
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3RA, United Kingdom

The application of waste compost-based soil amendments to remediate contaminated land for soft-end use is an emerging technology that is cost-effective, simple to implement, and sustainable. This concept is tested in this paper in which a heavy metal contaminated soil is amended with two waste-based composts, with and without a zeolite additive fraction. The effect of the amendments is assessed in terms of the leachability of the amended soil. Fresh soil and soil that had been used in pot experiments were tested and compared. The results from batch and column leaching tests are presented and compared in terms of the leachability of Zn2+, Cd2+, Cl, NO3 , and SO4 2− . The results show that green waste compost reduced the leachate concentrations of both Cd2+ and Zn2+ from 0.15 mg dm−3 and 4.7 mg dm−3 to 0.07 mg dm−3 and 2.3 mg dm−3 respectively, but only for Zn2+ did these concentrations fall below its World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standard of 3 mg dm−3. The use of composted sewage sludge had the opposite effect and increased the leachate concentration of Zn2+ to 9.8 mg dm−3, which was to up to 3.3 times its WHO standard, and increased the leaching concentration of NO3 to 395.4 mg dm−3 (10 times its WHO standard). Batch leaching tests leached a larger quantity of metals than column leaching tests, while the leaching of anions was similar. The column test also showed that initial leaching concentrations of metals and anions can be much higher than those obtained with the batch test but these decline quickly as leaching continues.

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