On investigating the effects of municipal landfill leachates on soils, it i
s found that the adsorption of landfill leachate constituents creates a "ne
w" soil surface able to enhance heavy metal uptake. In particular, the trea
tment of soil with the total leachates led to an increase in its metal rete
ntion capability that was much higher than for each individual fraction. Re
sults show that the leachate sorption on soil is regulated by the presence
of leachate constituents with low molecular weight cut-off since these frac
tions are able to "accelerate" the sorption of higher molecular weight frac
tions. The rapidly sorbed lower molecular weight fractions create a differe
nt soil surface that is able to accommodate the high molecular weight const
ituents. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.