Sequential extraction procedure: A versatile tool for environmental research

Abstract

The sequential extraction procedure as a tool to assess the environmental risk of metals in solid matrices has been widely studied. In this work, another promising application of these methods is proposed: the evaluation of the recoverability of critical raw materials from a solid matrix. To this aim, the normalized sequential extraction procedure BCR was applied to a contaminated soil from the south of Spain. In addi-tion to this, the influence of the incomplete dissolution of carbonates contained in the soil on the fractionation results has been also studied. The high percentage of metal in the most mobile fractions suggested the potential use of the solid matrix as secondary source. The use of this approach together with environmental and economic feasibility studies would be an approach toward the circular economy.