Heavy metal mobility assessment in sediments from the Odiel River (Iberian Pyritic Belt) using sequential extraction |
| |
Authors: | Rafael Beltrán J D de la Rosa J C Santos M Beltrán J L Gómez-Ariza |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Chemistry and Material Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21007 Huelva, Spain;(2) Department of Geology, University of Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21007 Huelva, Spain |
| |
Abstract: | The Tessier sequential extraction scheme (SES) was applied to sediments from the Odiel river catchment (Iberian Pyritic Belt,
SW of Spain), one of the most acid rivers on Earth, to assess the chemical association (exchangeable, carbonatic, bound to
manganese and iron oxides, bound to organic matter and residual mineral) of heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Fe,
and Hg). Sediments are very heterogeneous in their textural characteristics, showing different grain size. Twenty-seven samples
were studied from from areas along the Odiel River, from the source to the mouth, with special interest in the Odiel Marshes
Natural Park due to its ecological significance. Samples were classified as sandy (especially at the river mouth with low
iron oxide and organic matter content) and clay-silty (in the middle of the river catchment with high iron oxide content).
The numerous sandy samples with low pH values explain the low levels of metals upstream, although potential metals contributions
arise from mining and ore. However, the presence of sulfate in the mining area and carbonate at the mouth may explain the
high presence of lead and iron in these sandy zones. Some percentage of mobile Ni, Cu, and Zn were detected in the mining
area, but the elevated relative percentage of exchangeable Cd in the estuary is even more remarkable. The percentage of Zn
bound to carbonate is considerable in the catchment but especially in the estuary. However, Cu is only detected in the carbonate
phase downstream, in spite of the low concentration of carbonate, which represents a drawback in the application of the Tessier
SES to these types of samples. Finally, relatively high percentages of residual, non-mobile, Hg and Pb were observed, in the
estuarine and mining areas, respectively. Sand, lime, and clay fractions of representative samples from Areas I, II, and III
were used in a metal speciation study. Mainly, the elements analyzed had accumulated in the non-residual fractions. In the
mining area of the Pyrite Belt, the elements analyzed are mainly bound to Fe–Mn oxides (Fe + Mn + Cu + Cr + Pb + Mn ± Zn)
and the organic matter/sulfide fraction (Ni + Zn + Hg ± Cd), independent of sediment grain size. In conclusion, we show that
the results of the study of chemical speciation in sediments from acid rivers are independent of the sediment grain size considered. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|