Competition from Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) in Pb(II) Binding to Suwannee River Fulvic Acid

This is a study of trace metal competition in the complexation of Pb(II) by well-characterized humic substances, namely Suwannee River Fulvic Acid (SRFA) in model solutions. It was found that Cu(II) seems to compete with Pb(II) for strong binding sites of SRFA when present at the same concentration as Pb(II). However, Cd(II) and Zn(II) did not seem to compete with Pb(II) for strong binding sites of SRFA. These two metals did compete with Pb(II) for the weaker binding sites of SRFA. Heterogeneity of SRFA was found to play a crucial role in metal–SRFA interactions. The environmental significance of this research for freshwater is that even at relatively low Pb(II) loadings, the metals associated with lead in minerals, e.g. Cu(II), may successfully compete with Pb(II) for the same binding sites of the naturally occurring organic complexants, with the result that some of the Pb(II) may exist as free Pb²⁺ ions, which has been reported to be one of the toxic forms of Pb in aquatic environment.