Abstract
Environmental quality regulations are used to establish the maximum permissible concentrations of heavy metals before a site can be deemed to be polluted or contaminated. This paper compares the results obtained by 0.IN HCl extraction and acid extraction method(HNO$_3$+HClO$_4$.HCl). The leaching efficiency of 0.1N HCl extraction is directly proportional to the final pH of leachate, due to the different solubilities of the heavy metals at different pH values, The severe differences between 0.1N HCl-extractable and total metal contents result mainly from the buffering effect of carbonates, present in sediment. samples. Application of sequential extraction experiments to some sediments collected from gully pot in Seoul illustrates a much stronger scavenging effect by Fe and Mn-hydroxides, carbonates and organic phases. As deduced from both sequential extraction and leaching experiments, the relative mobility of heavy metals is found to be: Mn>Zn>>Co>Cd>>Cu>Pb>Cr>Fe, in spite of large differences in heavy metal content and localization. Changes in the physicochemical environments (such as acidification) caused by a traffic accident may result in the severe environmental pollution of heavy metals of surrounding area( surface water and rivers).
