Leaching potential and changes in components of metals in two acidic ferrisols

Two acidic ferrisols, i.e., red soil (RS) and yellow red soil (YRS), from the vicinity regions of non-ferrous ores in Hunan province of China, were leached with simulated acid rain through artificial column experiments. The results show that the total leaching mass of metals are m(Zn) > m(Cu) > m(Cd) from the original soils and m(Cd) > m(Zn) >> m(Cu) from the contaminated soils with external metals after leaching for 60 d continuously, leaching quantities of Cd and Zn from the contaminated red soil (CRS) are more than that from the contaminated yellow red soil (CYRS), but for Cu, it is almost the same. The preferential fractions for leaching are mainly in exchangeable forms, and content of exchangeable forms decreases significantly in the contaminated soil profiles. The unstable fractions of Cd, Cu and Zn in the RS and YRS increase significantly with the decrease of pH value of simulated acid rain. Changes of fractions of external Cd, Cu, and Zn in the residual CRS and CYRS profiles are significantly affected by the acidity of acid rain, too. After leaching for 60 d continuously, Cd exists mostly in exchangeable form, Cu exists mainly in exchangeable, manganese oxide-occluded and organically bounding forms, and Zn exists in residual in CRS and CYRS profiles. Most of exchangeable Cd and Zn exist only small in surface layer (0-20 cm) and are transferred to the sub-layers, contrarily, Cu accumulates mostly in the topsoil (0-20 cm) with low translocation.