Identification of Heavy Metals in Crystals of Sand and Silt Fractions of Soils by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM EDS/WD-EPMA)

ABSTRACT Studies of heavy metals are concentrate on clay fractions, but coarser fractions of the soil can constitute significant sources of structural forms of heavy metals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of heavy metals in the structure of minerals of the sand and silt fractions of soils from three different parent materials (metamorphic rocks and granite) in southern Brazil using SEM/EDS - Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and with WD-EPMA - with Wavelength Dispersive-Electron Probe Microanalysis. We sampled soils from two areas naturally ...