Team

Metal contamination of floodplain soils in Biebergemünd: Mobilization of potentially toxic trace metals due to flood events?

In the Hessian Spessart near Biebergemünd, high concentrations of toxic arsenic and potentially toxic trace metals were found in the surrounding floodplain soils in flooded areas, which can be traced back to historical mining. As a rule, such trace metals are often bound to iron (oxyhydr)oxides and to organic particles due to the oxic soil environment and are therefore less mobile. However, the redox conditions in the soil can be altered due to flooding by microbial oxygen scavenging and partitioning from atmospheric oxygen. In the absence of oxygen, redox-sensitive elements such as arsenic and sorbents such as iron (oxyhydr)oxides can be mobilized by reduction processes. In cooperation with Hessische Industriemüll GmbH (HIM), redox-sensitive elements are being investigated for their mobility and resorption availability in soils using sequential extraction and a flooding experiment.

Supervisors: Dr. Kai Nitzsche & Prof. Dr. Moritz Bigalke