Effectiveness of Solvents in the Removal of Arsenic from Soil

Arsenic is a biologically toxic agent found in many places and in many different forms. There are many species of arsenic, all of which are hazardous to humans and the environment, some more than others. Arsenic present in soil in the inorganic form, however, some microorganism may convert some inorganic to organic form by methylation. Extraction of arsenic species from soil without changing the form of species is a big concern. The goal of this experiment is to test different solvents at different concentrations that can be used to extract arsenic species and determine which of the solvents and concentration is the most effective. Phosphoric acid showed the most effective solvent in extracting the four species, As (III), As (V), MMA and DMA. While As(III) was the most difficult from to be extracted from soil, DMA showed the easiest form to extract. Arsenic is found in the environment in two forms: organic and inorganic, but the inorganic state is more toxic than the organic one. Arsenic in soils is predominately inorganic species of arsenic which is arsenate As(V), found in aqueous and aerobi