Diffusion characteristics of lead, zinc, cadmium in a novel phosphate-based binder stabilized soil

Abstract

Effective diffusion coefficient and partition coefficient are essential parameters to quantitatively assess the adverse impact of contaminated or stabilized soil on surrounding environment. In this study, a new method is developed to back-calculate the effective diffusion coefficient and partition coefficient of contaminants in the stabilized soil. Furthermore, the migration characteristics of Pb, Zn and Cd in a novel phosphate-based binder stabilized soil are investigated. The test results show that the effective diffusion coefficients of Pb and Zn (8.5 × 10 −13 m 2 /s and 7 × 10 −13 m 2 /s) in the stabilized soil are significantly lower than that of Cd (1.5 × 10 −12 m 2 /s). While the partition coefficients of Pb and Zn (8200 mg/L, 4500 mg/L) are significantly higher than that of Cd (2100 mg/L).