Availability and chemical associations of cadmium in contaminated tropical soils amended with mineral and organic amendments

Abstract

A study was performed to evaluate the variation in pH, availability, and chemical associations of Cd in two previously contaminated Latosols amended with mineral and organic amendments. The Latosols were contaminated with Cd and amended with vermicompost, sugarcane filter cake, palm kernel pie, lime, phosphate rock, or zeolite. Cadmium availability was evaluated monthly in the contaminated soil/soil amendment mixtures with the DTPA and Mehlich-3 extractants for twelve months of incubation. At the end of this period, a sequential extraction procedure was performed in the mixtures to identify the Cd forms present in the several geochemical fractions. Lime immobilized Cd at a larger extension (60%), being the metal transferred to less available fractions. The Mehlich-3 extractant had a high correlation (0.96**) with the available fraction examined by the sequential extraction procedure. In general, organic amendments produced small effects on the final pH of soil/soil amendment mixtures as compared with the initial soil pH. Mineral amendments caused enhancement of soil pH and the most pronounced effect occurred with the use of lime.