Chemical pools of cadmium, nickel and zinc in polluted soils and some preliminary indications of their availability to plants

This study was conducted to determine the chemical distribution and plant availability of Cd, Zn and Ni in eight metal-polluted soils in southern Ontario, Canada. There were altogether 30 different soil samples because two of the soils had received various sewage sludge treatments. The soils were sequentially extracted with 1 m ammonium acetate to remove soluble plus exchangeable metals, with 0.125 m Cu(II) acetate to remove complexed metals, and with 1 m HNO₃ to dissolve chemisorbed or occluded metals and precipitates such as oxides and carbonates. Expressed as a percentage of the metal so extracted, exchangeable Cd and Zn and Ni; complexed Cd and Zn>Ni and Ni>Zn>Cd in the acid-soluble pool. With a few exceptions (soils with high organic matter content or low pH) at least 50 per cent of the extracted metal was in the acid-soluble pool. The percentage of metal complexed was significantly correlated with organic matter content. The percentage of metal in the acid-soluble fraction was significantly correlated with soil pH. Preliminary findings based on the results with two soils suggested that for Cd and Zn plant availability was correlated with the concentrations of exchangeable, complexed or acid-soluble pools of Cd and Zn.