Pilot field test on olivine and lime as sorbents to reduce leaching of lead, antimony and copper
Publish date: 2024-03-18
Report number: FOI-R--5532--SE
Pages: 30
Written in: Swedish
Keywords:
- Bullet trap
- ammunition bullets
- lime
- olivine
- heavy metals
Abstract
The following report presents the results of an analysis from a pilot study where two soil treatment methods, liming and olivine application, were evaluated based on the ability to stabilize metal leaching from old bullet landing banks. Via a number of field lysimeters, surficial soil water from the different treatment areas has been collected and analyzed during the years 2015-2022. With the help of time series of pH, conductivity, calcium, magnesium, antimony, lead, copper and zinc, trends have been studied and evaluated. The main conclusion of the study is that no clear desired effects emerge from the soil treatment methods. It is possible that the treatments have raised the pH and lowered the levels of lead, copper and zinc on the bullet trap area, which has a more acidic and corrosive soil environment - but similar changes are also seen on the untreated sample area. Therefore, it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions about whether the treatment methods have had any effect.