Assessment of CaCl2, NaNO3 and NH4NO3 extraction procedures for the study of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn extractability in contaminated soils

The variety of extraction procedures used in environmental studies makes it very difficult to compare the results obtained; therefore, harmonisation and standardisation is required. The extraction of heavy metals from soil by un-buffered salt solutions is a method used to estimate soil contamination and trace metal availability to plants. The present study assesses three of these methods. All the three methods are standardised or is undergoing standardisation in Europe: 0.01 mol l⁻¹ CaCl₂ (The Netherlands), 0.1 mol l⁻¹ NaNO₃ (Switzerland) and 1 mol l⁻¹ NH₄NO₃ (Germany). The soil-reference material BCR CRM 483, with indicative values for CaCl₂, NaNO₃, NH₄NO₃ extractable metals, was analysed for quality control purposes. The three methods were also applied to 10 contaminated soils and the extracted metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) were determined. The procedures were found to be precise (typically <10%) for all metals, taking into account the low metal concentrations extracted. The metal extraction efficiency obtained with each procedure was slightly different, and the three methods provided equivalent information while predicting the relative trace-metal mobility (Cd>Zn>Cu>Pb) in the soils studied. From the experience obtained, the 0.01 mol l⁻¹ CaCl₂ extraction procedure seems to be the most suitable method for performing a harmonisation process, since this procedure combines an appropriate extraction capacity for this type of studies with the lowest salt concentration in the extracts and, consequently, with a more simple matrix for metal determination.