Sewage sludges are nutrient-rich organic materials, thus presenting potential for agricultural use. The use of these materials, however, can be limited by the presence of heavy metals in their composition. This study tried to evaluate: (a) the solubility of Cd, Pb and Zn in soils treated with sewage sludge enriched with these metals; (b) the incubation time effect on distribution changes of Cd, Pb and Zn in their different chemical forms in two soils treated with sewage sludge enriched with […]

To investigate the mineralogical variations with depth, 11samples were collected down to 14m, in an exposed sediment packet of the Barreiras Group in Aracruz, Espírito Santo, Brazil.The sand, silt and clay fractions were studied by X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetry and electron microscopy.The total contents of Fe in the clay and silt fractions and Ti and Zr in the silt fraction were determined by ICP after fluoridric acid extraction.Clay and silt fractions were submitted to selective and sequential mineral […]

Barreiras Group sediments (Coastal Tablelands) are very poor in primary mineral containing nutrients.To study the distribution of K, Mg and other metals in minerals of clay, silt and sand fractions, 11 samples were collected at depths of 0.7; 1.4; 2.1; 2.8; 3.5; 4.2; 4.9; 5.6; 7.7; 10.5 and 14m, in an exposed sedimentary sequence of the Barreiras Group, in Aracruz (19o49’13″S 40o16’24″W), Espírito Santo, Brazil.The total contents of K, Mg, Ca, Al, Fe, Ti, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr, […]

Procedures based on modifications of chemical properties are potentially useful for mitigating phytotoxicity of heavy metals in soils. However, it is difficult to predict the effects of different ameliorating agents on the bioavailability of heavy metals in soil simultaneously contaminated with several metals. This study was developed in a soil from a dumping site of a zinc extraction and manufacturing industry-Companhia Mineira de Metais-CMM, located at Três Marias (MG), to assess content, fractioning and bioavailability of Zn, Cd, Cu and […]