Evaluation of dilute hydrochloric acid and acid ammonium oxalate as extractants for some heavy metals from Nile River sediments

The suitability of a 0.5 M HCl solution for extraction of Fe, Mn, Cd, Co, Cu, Pb, and Zn from Nile River sediments was evaluated by comparing its effectiveness with that of conventional acid ammonium oxalate (Tamm's solution) and aqua regia extraction solutions. The present study has shown that although the extraction data indicate that both 0.5 M HCl and acid ammonium oxalate solutions are able to extract heavy metals simultaneously from the adsorbed, organic, and precipitated phases of Nile sediments, the 0.5 M HCl solution is preferred. It provides a rapid, reliable, and inexpensive method of measuring environmentally mobile metal concentrations in the aquatic sediments. From an analytical chemistry point of view, the 0.5 M HCl extracts do not clog the atomizer of the spectrophotometer. Extraction with dilute HCl solution obviates the need to use chemicals, some of which are toxic or not available readily as a high-purity grade. A standard extraction method should be relatively simple, to conduct a routine analysis of large numbers of sediment samples, yet at the same time it should provide sufficient information for assessment of the environmental impact of particulate metals. Therefore, extraction with 0.5 M HCl solution is very suitable for heavy-metal pollution monitoring in the Nile River     

Mineralization of particulate organic matter derived from coral-reef organisms in reef sediments of the Gulf of Aqaba

In situ and laboratory incubation experiments in a fringing reef in the Gulf of Aqaba were performed to study degradation rates of particulate organic matter in reef sediments. Coral mucus, clam eggs, and zooxanthellae were used as model particulate organic compounds for these experiments. Aerobic and anaerobic mineralization rates were calculated by dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and O₂ fluxes from the sediments under different particulate organic matter additions. Fast enhancement (approximately twofold) of O₂ and DIC fluxes were found with the addition of coral mucus and clam eggs compared with control incubations without addition. Most of the degradation is believed to have occurred anaerobically rather than aerobically (DIC:O₂ ratios were 4.3-28.1). Higher degradation rates of coral mucus and clam eggs were estimated in carbonate sediment than in silicate sediment (1.2-1.6-fold), which was attributed to the different physical and chemical properties of both sediments. Our study shows the significance of the reef sediment as a suitable site for microbial degradation of particulate organic material excreted from different reef community organisms. This may increase the regeneration of nutrients in the reef environment necessary to sustain high biological productivity.     

沉积物重金属环境地球化学特征研究方法进展

从沉积物重金属环境地球化学特征的角度,结合国内外研究成果,阐述了沉积物重金属环境地球化学特征研究方法研究进展,分析总结了目前的研究方法和成果,提出为全面了解重金属污染物在沉积物中迁移转化规律,需全面对比每一类研究方法.     

祊河沉积物重金属(Cu、Zn、Cd)的污染评价

为了解祊河河流沉积物重金属情况,以祊河橡胶坝至沂蒙路大桥段为主研究对象,对河段内8个断面沉积物的3个指标(Cu、Zn、Cd)进行监测调查,参照国内有关标准,建立了适合该区域的沉积物污染评价标准,主要运用潜在生态危害指数法和内梅罗法标准指数法对检测结果进行生态风险和污染程度评价。结果表明:祊河橡胶坝至沂蒙路大桥段沉积物重金属生态危害指数高达3418.5,内梅罗污染指数为6.95,为重度污染,说明祊河沉积物重金属污染非常严重。     

洱海表层沉积物中磷形态分布及pH、DO影响的分析

研究了洱海代表性区域表层沉积物中总磷分布及不同形态磷赋存特征,探讨了pH值及溶解氧对沉积物中总磷和各形态磷赋存状态的影响。结果表明洱海表层沉积物中总磷和不同形态磷分布不均,总磷含量湖心高于湖口,湖心区域闭蓄态磷(BD-P和Al-P)和生物有效态磷占总磷的比例较高,更容易受pH和DO的影响,碱性和厌氧条件会增加洱海湖心底泥中磷的潜在释放能力。     

Characteristics of heavy metals and Pb isotopic signatures in sediment cores collected from typical urban shallow lakes in Nanjing, China

To investigate the contamination levels and sources for heavy metals that have occurred during the development of cities, sediment cores collected from typical urban shallow lakes (Xuanwu Lake and Mochou Lake) in Nanjing, China were analyzed for Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni, and for Pb stable isotopic ratios. No significant differences were found in the concentrations of Cu, Ni and Cd among sediment layers from Xuanwu or in the levels of Cr and Ni among sediment layers from Mochou. However, there were significant differences among the layers in the concentrations of Cr, Zn and Pb in Xuanwu and Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in Mochou. Based on geoaccumulation indexes and enrichment factors, Cd was the primary pollutant at all depths in the sediment cores. The ratios of (206)Pb/(207)Pb and (208)Pb/(206)Pb differ significantly among sediment layers in Xuanwu. No significant differences were found on the ratios of (208)Pb/(206)Pb in Mochou, but the ratios of (206)Pb/(207)Pb differ significantly among some of the sediment layers in Mochou. The range of (208)Pb/(206)Pb and (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios was found to be 2.098-2.106 and 1.170-1.176, respectively, for sediment cores from Mochou Lake and 2.091-2.104 and 1.168-1.183, respectively, for cores from Xuanwu Lake. The differences in heavy metal concentrations and the Pb isotopic ratios with depth for the cores from Xuanwu and Mochou confirmed that the contamination sources changed during the formation of the different sediment layers. Furthermore, the ratios of (206)Pb/(207)Pb demonstrated that gasoline and vehicular Pb were not the primary sources of Pb contamination at different depths in the sediment cores in Xuanwu Lake and Mochou Lake.     

Role of buffer strips in management of waterway pollution: A review

A buffer strip can perform a multitude of functions, and these include channel stability, a filter for sediment and nutrients, water purification (e.g., bacteria and pathogens), a nondisturbance area, and the provision of terrestrial and stream habitat. These functions are reviewed with specific application to Australian conditions, and methods for modeling their performance are outlined. The primary focus is on the use of buffer strips to minimize waterway pollution from diffuse sources since their use is often justified on this basis. Particular attention is given to the conditions under which a buffer strip will act as an effective filter and the conditions under which it will fail. Buffer strips are most effective when the flow is shallow (nonsubmerged), slow, and enters the buffer strip uniformly along its length. Their sediment trapping performance decreases as the sediment particle size decreases. Nutrients are often preferentially attached to fine sediment. As a result, buffer strips are better filters of sediment than of nutrients. Buffer strips should only be considered as a secondary conservation practice after controlling the generation of pollutants at their source and, to be effective, buffer strips should always be carefully designed, installed, and maintained.     

Relationship between heavy metals and dissolved organic matter released from sediment by bioturbation/bioirrigation

Organic matter (OM) is an important component of sediment. Bioturbation/bioirrigation can remobilize OM and heavy metals that were previously buried in the sediment. The remobilization of buried organic matter, thallium (Tl), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) from sediment was studied in a laboratory experiment with three organisms: tubificid, chironomid larvae and loach. Results showed that bioturbation/bioirrigation promoted the release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and dissolved Tl, Cd, Cu and Zn, but only dissolved Zn concentrations decreased with exposure time in overlying water. The presence of organisms altered the compositions of DOM released from sediment, considerably increasing the percentage of fulvic acid-like materials (FA) and humic acid-like materials (HA). In addition, bioturbation/bioirrigation accelerated the growth and reproduction of bacteria to enhance the proportion of soluble microbial byproduct-like materials (SMP). The DOM was divided into five regions in the three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (3D-EEM), and each part had different correlation with the dissolved heavy metal concentrations. Dissolved Cu had the best correlation with each of the DOM compositions, indicating that Cu in the sediment was in the organic-bound form. Furthermore, the organism type and heavy metal characteristics both played a role in influencing the remobilization of heavy metal.     

Comprehensive analysis of nitrogen distributions and ammonia nitrogen release fluxes in the sediments of Baiyangdian Lake, China

The condition of Baiyangdian Lake(BYDL) will improve as the Xiongan New Area evolves and fulfills its role of easing overcrowding and supporting economic growth. Water and sediment samples from BYDL were analyzed to provide information on nitrogen(N) contamination in BYDL. The mean ammonium N(NH_4~+-N), nitrate N, and total N concentrations in the water samples were 0.36, 0.12, and 2.22 mg/L, respectively, and the ranges were 0.003–8.38, 0.06–0.30,and 1.25–10.34 mg/L, respectively. The N concentrations in water gradually increased from the north to the south of BYDL. Sediment at 90% of the sampling sites was in or above the moderately contaminated class(1000–2000 mg/kg) defined in US Environmental Protection Agency total N pollution standards. Positive NH_4~+-N fluxes were found for 28 of the 34 sediment core samples, so the potential for NH_4~+-N being released from sediment was relatively high. The NH_4~+-N fluxes were 5.35–48.76 mg/m~2/day, and the mean and maximum fluxes were 8.71 and 48.76 mg/m~2/day, respectively. Benthic organisms will be affected more by NH_4~+-N and NH_3·H_2O in the surface sediment pore water(mean concentrations 4.93 and 0.13 mg/L, respectively) than by the other forms of N.     

Source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a sediment core from Lake Dagze Co, Tibetan Plateau, China: Comparison of three receptor models

Receptor models are a useful tool for identifying sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in multiple environmental media. In this study, three different receptor models (including the principal component analysis-multiple linear regression (PCA-MLR), positive matrix factorization (PMF), and Unmix models) were used to apportion the sources of 16 priority PAHs in a sediment core of Lake Dagze Co. The ∑PAHs (sum of all 16 measured PAHs) concentrations ranged from 51.89 to 132.82 ng/g with an average of 80.39 ng/g. The ∑PAHs were dominated by 2-3 ring PAHs, accounting for 80.12% on average, thereby indicating that they mainly originated from biomass and coal combustion and/or from long-range atmospheric transportation. The three models produced consistent source apportionment results. The greatest contributor to ∑PAHs was biomass combustion, followed by coal combustion, vehicle emissions, and petrogenic sources. Moreover, the temporal variation of the common sources was well-correlated among models. The multi-method comparison and evaluation results showed that all three models were useful tools for source apportionment of PAHs, with the PMF model providing better results than the PCA-MLR and Unmix models. The temporal trends of factor contributions were verified by PAHs with different ring numbers. Significant correlations were found between the simulated concentrations of each source factor and the PAHs with different ring numbers (P<0.01), except for the petrogenic source identified by the Unmix model (P>0.05). This study can provide useful information for further investigation of source apportionment of PAHs in the sediment cores.