A feasibility assessment of remediating copper contaminated soils with construction wastes

Abstract

This study investigated the potential of waste concrete fines and carbonized waste concrete fines as soil amendments for the remediation of copper-contaminated soils through adsorption and solidification experiments. The Langmuir equation indicated that both waste concrete fines and carbonized waste concrete fines achieved high adsorption capacities of 27.60 mg/g and 27.71 mg/g, respectively. These construction wastes were as effective as steel slag and fly ash in stabilizing copper in soils, primarily by converting copper from weakly acid-extractable forms to reducible and oxidized states, while exhibiting no significant effect on the residual state of copper. The results suggest a promising application of construction wastes in soil remediation; however, further investigation is needed to understand their long-term effects and the migration of potentially toxic metals in plants.