Abstract

The problem of heavy metal pollution in soil, particularly in industrial regions, has a greater impact on human environmental health and other agricultural practices. To devise effective remediation measures for these contaminants, the transportation behavior of the pollutants must be examined. The vertical transport and distribution of selected heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and zinc) in a homogeneous soil profile were modeled in HYDRUS-1D in this study. It has been experimentally confirmed and widely applied in numerical simulation models. The physical and chemical parameters, including soil texture and porosity, hydraulic conductivity, and sorption isotherms, were simulated, as were initial metal concentrations. The experiment was conducted under different climatic and irrigation conditions to investigate how water flux and adsorption influence heavy metal leaching. The results showed that the mobility of the heavy metal depended on both soil conditions and the metal's adsorption characteristics. With a low sorption preference, cadmium exhibited high leaching potential, whereas under the same conditions, lead showed minimal movement. These findings support the effectiveness of HYDRUS-1D in predicting the fate of contaminants in soil, supporting environmental risk assessment, and informing the design of tailored remediation strategies for the site.