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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Exploration of the Enrichment Process of Heavy
Metal Elements in Carbonate Rocks Weathered
Soil: Insights from Acid Leaching Experiments
1
College of Agriculture, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, China
2
Guizhou Institute of Geological Survey, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, China
Submission date: 2024-01-08
Final revision date: 2024-04-12
Acceptance date: 2024-04-30
Online publication date: 2024-12-03
Publication date: 2025-01-28
Corresponding author
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(3):2925-2938
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Significant enrichment of heavy metal elements occurs during the process of carbonate rocks weathering into
the soil, but the factors contributing to this enrichment are not yet fully understood. This study compared the
variations in heavy metal elements (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) concentrations between carbonate rocks and
clastic rocks, as well as their weathered soils. The findings indicate that, under the driving forces of different
weathering patterns, the geochemical behavior of heavy metal elements exhibits significant differences. The
enrichment and accumulation of heavy metal elements in carbonate weathered soils can be attributed to the
absolute loss of mass and relative enrichment in terms of concentrations. This study further investigated the
role of acid-insoluble residues in influencing the characteristics of mineral phase and migration enrichment
degree of heavy metal elements in carbonate rocks through acid leaching experiments. The results demonstrate
that heavy metal elements are generally inclined to be present in acid-soluble mineral phases and
exhibit a distribution pattern where higher levels of acid-insoluble residues correspond to a greater tendency
for heavy metal elements to be enriched in the acid-insoluble mineral phase. The migration and enrichment
degree of heavy metal elements in the weathered soils of carboniferous and Permian carbonate rocks in the
study area are significantly higher than those in the Cambrian system. This indicates that lower levels of
acid-insoluble residues correspondingly result in more intense leaching during their weathering process. Furthermore,
the concentration of heavy metal elements in the acid-insoluble residues of carbonate rocks to some
extent controls the characteristics of heavy metal elements content in weathered soils. This is an important
factor leading to variations in the enrichment degree of heavy metal elements in carbonate weathered soils
across different geological epochs. This study provides new insights into the factors contributing to the enrichment
of heavy metal elements in carbonate weathered soils. Considering the unique weathering patterns
of carbonate rocks, it is recommended to prioritize the monitoring of heavy metal elements concentrations in
overlying soils, surface runoff, and karst groundwater in the study area.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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