Inorganic acids such as HCl, HNO₃, and H₂SO₄ have been commonly applied to soil washing of heavy metals-contaminated soil due to their cost-effectiveness. However, implementing the ‘Chemical Substance Control Act’ requires off-site risk assessment of the chemicals used in the soil washing. Therefore, in this study, organic acids or Fe(III)-based washing agents were evaluated to replace commonly used inorganic acids. Ferric removed heavy metals via H⁺ generated by hydrolysis, which is similar to the HCl used in the control group. Oxalic acid and citric acid were effective to remove Cu, Zn, and Cd from soil. Organic acids could not remove Pb because they could form Pb-organic acid complexes with low solubility. Furthermore, Pb could be adsorbed onto the iron-organic acid complex on the soil surface. Ferric could remove exchangeable-carbonate, Fe-Mn hydroxide, and organic matter and sulfides bound heavy metals (F1, F2, and F3). Organic acids could remove the exchangeable-carbonate and Fe-Mn hydroxide bound metals (F1&F2). Therefore, this research shows that the fractionation of heavy metals in the soil and the properties of washing agents should be considered in the selection of agents in the process design.

Keywords: Soil washing, Heavy metal, Ferric chloride, Organic acid