Chelating agents to solubilize heavy metals from Oxisols contaminated by the addition of organic and inorganic residues Uso de quelantes na solubilização de metais pesados de Latossolos contaminados pela adição de resíduos orgânico e inorgânico

Phytoremediation is an attractive technique for soils contaminated with heavy metals, especially in conjunction with chelating agents to assist metal phytoextraction. Nevertheless, their studies in Brazil are rare. Thus, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the efficiency of the chelating agents EDDS and EDTA for the solubilization of heavy metals from two Oxisols contaminated by organic sources in Jaguariúna (LVJ) and inorganic sources in Paulínia (LVP), São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil. First, the soil samples were fractionated and the DTPA method was used to quantify heavy metals available forms. The results indicated that the metals were highly available in the soil fractions and could be solubilized by the chelating agents. The soil was suspended for 24 h in a chelating agent solution (EDTA or EDDS) at rates of 0, 250, 500 and 750 mg kg-1 of soil. The concentration of solubilized heavy metals was determined in the resulting solution. The extent of metal solubilization varied according to soil type, the chelating agent added and the specific metal. The amount of iron solubilized, as compared to the total iron (LVJ) was 11% (EDTA) and 19% (EDDS). EDDS solubilized more Cu than EDTA in both soils but more Ni in LVJ, while EDTA solubilized more Zn in both soils but more Cd in LVP. Both EDTA and EDDS may be useful for phytoextraction from soils, although the iron content is an important factor regarding the phytoextraction of heavy metals with chelating agents in Oxisols.A fitoextração tem sido uma opção atrativa para remediar solos contaminados com metais pesados, principalmente quando associada à aplicação de quelantes ao solo, embora no Brasil seus estudos sejam muito incipientes. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência dos quelantes EDTA e EDDS na solubilização de metais pesados em Latossolos contaminados por Cu, Zn, Cd e Ni, cujas fontes de contaminação foram: orgânica em Jaguariúna (LVJ) e inorgânica em Paulínia (LVP). Antes da solubilização dos metais com os quelantes as amostras de solo foram submetidas ao fracionamento seqüencial e à extração dos metais pesados pelo método do DTPA. Ainda, as amostras dos dois solos foram agitadas com as soluções dos quelantes, por 24 h, usando as seguintes doses: 0, 250, 500 e 750 mg kg-1 de solo, realizando-se a determinação dos metais pesados no sobrenadante. Tanto a extração com DTPA como o fracionamento seqüencial indicaram que os metais estavam nas frações disponíveis que