Soil solids, arsenic retention

Generally, precipitation contributes only a small portion of the arsenic retention except in highly contaminated soils (e.g., soils around acid mines). If present at very high concentrations, direct precipitation or coprecipitation of arsenic with solid-phase Al, Fe, Mn, Mg, and Ca can occur. For example, Masscheleyn et al. (1991a) indicated that under reduced conditions, the formation of Mn3(As04)2 may control dissolved As(V). Under highly reduced conditions and in the presence of sulhdes, arsenic sulhde precipitation may occur. 

Feltz, A. Martin, A. (1987) Solid-state reactivity and mechanisms in oxide systems. 11 Inhibition of zinc ferrite formation in zinc oxide - a-iron(lll) oxide mixtures with a large excess of a-iron(lll) oxide. In Schwab, G.M. (ed.) Reactivity of solids. Elsevier, 2 307—313 Fendorf, S. Fendorf, M. (1996) Sorption mechanisms of lanthanum on oxide minerals. Clays Clay Miner. 44 220-227 Fendorf, S.E. Sparks, D.L. (1996) X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. In Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 3 Chemical Methods. Soil Sd. Soc. Am., 377-416 Fendorf, S.E. Eick, M.J. Grossl, P. Sparks, D.L. (1997) Arsenate and chromate retention mechanisms on goethite. 1. Surface structure. Environ. Sci. Techn. 31 315-320 Fendorf, S.E. Li,V. Gunter, M.E. (1996) Micromorphologies and stabilities of chromiu-m(III) surface precipitates elucidated by scanning force microscopy. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 60 99-106... 

TABLE 8.1. Retention Maximum for Arsenic on Various Solids Common to Soils and Sediments Derived from Adsorption Isotherms at Fixed pH... 

A recent study published in the Chinese Journal of Instrumental Analysis, Fenxi Ceshi Xuebao, showed a detection limit of 500 ng of Sulfur Mustard (HD) by using accelerated solvent extraction-gas chromatography (ASE-GC) coupled with a flame photometric detector (EPD) in the sulfur mode, in soil. In this case, the study showed evidence that ASE results in better recoveries and sensitivity than liquid solid extraction (LSE) [50]. In 1996, a paper was published on a method for the analysis of Lewisite through derivatization of the compound before introduction into a gas chromatograph. In order to simplify the derivatization process, a tube packed with absorbent was used for collection of airborne vapors. If a positive response occurs when screening analytes using a GC coupled with an FPD, then the same sample can be analysed using a GC equipped with an AED for confirmation based on the elemental response to arsenic (in the case of Lewisite) and sulfur (in the case of Sulfur Mustard) within the appropriate GC retention time window [54]. 

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