Modeling the Competitive Heavy Metal Sorption onto Sediments with the Use of Multifactorial Experiment.

A study of the competitive sorption of heavy metals onto sediments by means of a planned multifactorial experiment yielded equations describing the mutual influence of the zinc(II), cadmium(II), lead(II), and copper(II) cations in the sorption process, with the coefficients in the equations indicating the degrees of this influence. The competition between the metal ions significantly increases their mobility. Lead(II) and copper(II) cations prevent the binding of cadmium(II) and zinc(II) cations to sediments and promote their mobilization. Cadmium is a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems because of its mobility and high toxicity. After refinement under natural conditions the resulting mathematical models can be used for assessing and predicting the environmental risks of water pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]