title: High metal reactivity and environmental risks at a site contaminated by glass waste.
abstract: This study addresses the reactivity and risks of metals (Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, As and Sb) at a Swedish site with large glass waste deposits. Old glassworks sites typically have high total metal concentrations, but as the metals are mainly bound within the glass waste and considered relatively inert, environmental investigations at these kinds of sites are limited. In this study, soil and landfill samples were subjected to a sequential chemical extraction procedure. Data from batch leaching tests and groundwater upstream and downstream of the waste deposits were also interpreted. The sequential extraction revealed that metals in <2 mm soil/waste samples were largely associated with geochemically active fractions, indicating that metals are released from pristine glass and subsequently largely retained in the surrounding soil and/or on secondary mineral coatings on fine glass particles. From the approximately 12,000 m(3) of coarse glass waste at the site, almost 4000 kg of Pb is estimated to have been lost through corrosion, which, however, corresponds to only a small portion of the total amount of Pb in the waste. Metal sorption within the waste deposits or in underlying soil layers is supported by fairly low metal concentrations in groundwater. However, elevated concentrations in downstream groundwater and in leachates of batch leaching tests were observed for several metals, indicating on-going leaching. Taken together, the high metal concentrations in geochemically active forms and the high amounts of as yet uncorroded metal-rich glass, indicate considerable risks to human health and the environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden. Electronic address: anna.augustsson@lnu.se.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Augustsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Åström
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bergbäck
authors.affiliation: Kemakta Konsult, Box 12655, 112 93 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elert
authors.affiliation: Kemakta Konsult, Box 12655, 112 93 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Höglund
authors.affiliation: Swedish Geotechnical Institute, Kornhamnstorg 61, 111 27 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7014, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kleja
mesh_terms: D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005898:Glass / Q000737:chemistry*; D060587:Groundwater / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D064091:Waste Disposal Facilities
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Glass waste; Leaching; Metals; Risk; Sorption