The chapters of this book were originally presented at the Fourth International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements, in June 1997 at Berkeley, California. The results of that symposium are now available to assist both specialists and those concerned with broader environmental issues. The first four chapters of Fate and Transport of Heavy Metals in the Vadose Zone are devoted to sorption-desorption processes. Subjects include the kinetics of trace metal sorption-desorption, adsorption of nickel and their isotherms, cadmium reactions, and retention mechanisms of both linear and nonlinear types. The next three sections describe complexation and speciation processes. The authors consider the effect of humic and fulvic acids, the binding of copper with organic matter, and the rate of dissolved selenium. Chapters eight through eleven scrutinize the bioavailability and retention of heavy metals and their mobility in the vadose zone. Twelve details plant-available concentration levels for heavy metals in the vadose zone. The last section relates case studies that are relevant to environmental affairs. Features

Most reported incidents of soil contamination include an array of heavy metals species rather than a single ion. The various interactions in these multicomponent or multiple-ion systems significantly impact the fate and transport of heavy metals, and competition for sorption sites on soil matrix surfaces is a common phenomenon. Because of this, con

Most reported incidents of soil contamination include an array of heavy metals species rather than a single ion. The various interactions in these multicomponent or multiple-ion systems significantly impact the fate and transport of heavy metals, and competition for sorption sites on soil matrix surfaces is a common phenomenon. Because of this, considering competitive sorption is an important part of predicting contaminant transport. Competitive Sorption and Transport of Heavy Metals in Soils and Geological Media gives you the information needed to understand heavy metals’ sorption and transport in the vadose zone and aquifers. The book brings together state-of-the art research on the competitive sorption and mobility of single versus multiple heavy metal species. It also relates the transport mechanisms to the processes that govern sorption mechanisms. The work offers new experimental evidence on the fate of multiple heavy metals in soil columns and new field results on how multiple ions influence the mobility of metals in the soil profile under water-unsaturated flow. Emphasizing modeling approaches, the book begins with an overview of the competitive behavior of heavy metals. It then takes a closer look at various heavy metals, discussing their behavior in tropical soils, speciation and fractionation, accumulation, migration, competitive retention, and the contamination of water resources at the watershed scale. The book also presents extensive data on phosphate, a commonly used fertilizer, and its role in facilitating the release of trace elements. The final chapter looks at the effect of waterlogged conditions on arsenic and cadmium solubilization. Edited by an internationally recognized researcher and featuring expert contributors, this comprehensive work addresses the complex physical and chemical phenomena of sorption mechanisms. Presenting the latest research, it helps you to better predict the potential mobility of multiple heavy metals in soils.

Concerns regarding heavy metal contamination in terrestrial ecosystems have prompted increasing efforts on limiting their bioavailability in the root zone. The complexity of the hydrologic system gives rise to the need for understanding the fate and transport of trace elements in the soil-water-plant environment. Dynamics and Bioavailability of Hea

This volume offers detailed information on the behaviour of various water pollutants, and on the principles and concepts of groundwater flow and transport. It will help readers to understand and execute the planning, supervision, and review of solute transport and groundwater modeling projects. The book also discusses the role and fate of elements that have been identified as major contaminants in surface and subsurface waters, and their adverse effects on ecology and human health. The book explores this theme throughout four sections – a. Understanding Soil-Water Systems, b. Fate and Transport of Pollutants, c. Physico-Chemical Treatment of Wastewater and d. Microbial Techniques Used to Decontaminate Soil-Water Systems. Introducing readers to a range of recent advances concerning the fundamentals of subsurface water treatment, it offers a valuable guide for teachers, researchers, policymakers, and undergraduate and graduate students of hydrology, environmental microbiology, biotechnology and the environmental sciences. It also provides field engineers and industrial practitioners with essential support in the effective remediation and management of polluted sites.