The compound CaCO3 is less expensive than CaHPO4 and previous studies have shown
that carbonate effectively immobilizes Cd. CaHPO4 and CaCO3 were combined and tested
to immobilize the metals in the soil. Table 5 shows the leachable metal concentrations
following CaHPO4/CaCO3 stabilization. The concentrations were effectively reduced with
5% CaHPO4 and 10% CaCO3; the Cd and Pb leachable concentrations were lower than regulatory limits. The most effective combination dosewas 8%CaHPO4/10% CaCO3. Generally,increasing the CaHPO4 dosage reduced the more leachable metal concentrations after 14 days of stabilization. The soil pH remained at about 7.4. Therefore, the CaHPO4/CaCO3 combination was employed to stabilize the contaminated soil. The cost was less than when using only CaHPO4, and the soil pH change was moderate