Journal of Geology & Geophysics
Open Access

Immobilization of heavy metals in polluted soils using nano-particles

International Conference on Geology

June 22-23, 2015 Florida, USA

Mohamed Ibrahim Dosouky Helal

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Geol Geosci

Abstract :

Heavy metals polluted soils are a significant worldwide environmental problem. The crops cultivated in polluted soils often contain significant levels of heavy metals (Cd, Pb., etc) that can impair human health. The current technologies such as; removing up of pollutants; stabilization/solidification of pollutants, vitrification, soil capping.., etc; used in remediation of polluted soils are not adequate. Smarter and cheaper techniques still to be addressed to decontaminate polluted soil. Nanotechnology offers a number of emerging techniques much more effective and less costly that could work to immobilize contaminants. Nanoparticles; nano scale zero valent iron �??nZVI�?�, nZVI-bentonite, Nano alginite, and nano carbon; are used as a potential sorbents to eliminate Cd and Pb from polluted soil. These nanoparticles are prepared in the lab either using bottom-up or top-down technique, then characterized using transmission electron microscope (TEM). The prepared nanoparticles proved to have very small size (less than 70 nm), high surface area (155-257 m2/g) and cation exchange capacity (30.3-60.7Cmolc/kg). Also, the prepared nanoparticles proved high adsorption capacity for Pb and Cd, and high retention for the adsorbed metal. The maximum adsorption capacity of nanoparticles ranged from 3954-25974 and 1598-93458 mg kg-1 for Pb and Cd, respectively. That is besides; only small quantities (9.3-20% and 0.4-23%) were released from the previously adsorbed Pb and Cd, respectively.