Comparison of Copper Sorption on Lignite and on Soils of Different Types and Their Humic Acids

Abstract

We compared the sorption of copper on South Moravian lignite with that on several soils from Slovakia, using batch adsorption at a laboratory temperature of 25°C followed by a two-step desorption procedure. The results confirmed that lignite has a copper-sorption capacity and copper-binding strength that is comparable to or better than that of the Slovakian soils that we investigated. We compared these results with previously obtained data for sorption on humic acids (HA) isolated from lignite and soils. Although soil constituents other than HA, such as fulvic acids and mineral particles, also control metal sorption, HA bind copper at higher capacity and with greater strength than do the whole matrices of the soils we tested, and lignite showed a greater binding strength for copper than any of these soils. Our results thus far indicate that natural lignite mined in the Czech Republic, or lignite-derived HA, are potential agents for in situ soil remediation.