Environmental Impact of Heavy Metal Composition and Iron Speciation in Soils

Authors:

• Students:
  • Nathan Bellows
  • Kristen Castelino
  • Trinity Choi
  • Rafael Crespo
  • Jaden Frese
  • Josef Hiller
  • Izzy Huang
  • Zach Johnson
  • Peter Krosniak
  • Maraya Nikolova
  • Luca Piekarski
  • Sufyaan Syed
• Teachers:
  • Jeff Rylander
• Mentors:
  • Carlo Segre (Illinois Institute of Technology, Advanced Photon Source, Sector 10-BM)

Advanced Photon Source Sector 10: MRCAT

It is well known that heavy metals are naturally present in soil, but the soil composition of these metals in differing environments is not fully understood. In addition, significant quantities of iron in soil negatively affects soil restoration and the valence state of iron that is present may be correlated to both soil pH and its ability to breakdown inorganic compounds. In this experiment, x-ray spectroscopy will be used to determine the valence states of iron in soil, which serve as indicators of several environmental factors. X-ray diffraction will be used to investigate the presence and abundance of heavy metals in soil samples from various locations across northern Illinois. The samples will be taken in three subgroups: (1) agricultural vs. non-agricultural, (2) rural vs. suburban vs. urban, and (3) variable distances from a central body of water. A total of 36 soil samples will be collected and analyzed to compare the presence of heavy metals as well as the iron speciation. In addition, soil pH will be measured for each soil environment. Analysis of such samples may reveal trends regarding the effect that soil environments have on the presence of heavy metals and the different valence states of iron that are present.

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