Column experiments consisting of crushed rock containing arsenic (As) and boron (B), and volcanic ash with high amorphous aluminum and iron contents were conducted to evaluate the leaching behaviors and adsorption characteristics of these toxic elements from the rock. The results showed that the As and B concentrations in the effluent were much higher than the environmental standards, and that the addition of a bottom adsorption layer decreased the concentrations of As and B and delayed their peak appearances in the leachate. The pHvalues of the effluent from the rock layer were alkaline ranging from 10 to 11, but interactions between the pore water and minerals in the volccanic ash layer buffered the pHvalues (approximately pH7). The As and B migration in the columns were simulated using an advective-dispersive equation with a Henry type adsorption model. As a result, the model expressed the leaching behavior of B well whereas the model did not express that of As. The distribution coefficient,
Kd, of B evaluated from the column experiments also agreed well with that obtained from batch adsorption experiments. This indicates that the model is effective in evaluating B migration. However, since As adsorption was affected by many factors, such as pH, coexisting ions, and other experimental conditions, simulated
Kd values of As did not agree with the observed ones. The above results suggest that a bottom adsorption layer is effective in the reduction and retardation of heavy metals leached from a rock layer and in the neutralization of the effluent pH. Furthermore, the B migration can be predicted using the
Kd value derived from batch experiments.
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