(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2014-03-17) Driscoll, Kendra
The impact of liming (10 t ha-1 of calcitic and dolomitic limestone, separately) on the soil
solution and soil matrix was investigated in an acidic metal-contaminated soil from Sudbury,
ON. A soil mesocosm experiment was performed; columns were leached with simulated
rainwater and the soil solution collected at various locations throughout the soil column. The
dissolution rate of calcitic limestone used for this experiment was found to be approximately
double that of the dolomitic limestone investigated. Calcium and Mg released during limestone
dissolution migrated through the soil profile to the Bf-BC interface. The addition of limestone
increased the pH and decreases the bioavailability of Ni, Cu, Co, Cd, As, Ba, Mn, and Zn the
LFH horizon. Amending acid, contaminated soils with calcitic or dolomitic limestone has
profound effects on soil solution chemistry.
