Natural attenuation in marine sediments: investigation of the effect of chloride concentration on the mobility of metals
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MICROPOLLUTANTS AND MICROPLASTICS IN THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT
Natural attenuation in marine sediments: investigation of the effect of chloride concentration on the mobility of metals Ioanna Damikouka 1
&
Alexandra Katsiri 2
Received: 29 February 2020 / Accepted: 22 June 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Metals can be mobilized from contaminated sediments under variable environmental conditions. This paper discusses the effects of specific ions of the water column in conjunction with natural attenuation processes on the leaching of metals from marine sediments. In particular, the effect of the salinity and the presence of ions in the seawater, especially the chlorides of the water column, in leaching of metals was examined. Sediment samples were collected from sampling stations in the inner port of Piraeus, Greece. Due to the fact that natural attenuation is a slow procedure which consists of natural, chemical, and biological processes and is influenced by many factors, it was approached with experiments taking place under quite aggressive conditions. Sequential leaching tests in cycles of seven repetitions were performed. The results of these experiments showed that leaching of metals from contaminated sediments to the water column was influenced by the concentration of dissolved constituents. Initially leaching was significant with maximum concentration of leachable copper (Cu) 0.25 mg/kg, lead (Pb) 0.0048 mg/kg, and zinc (Zn) 0.28 mg/kg, and then fell in the last repetitions. The leaching of Cu and Zn from contaminated sediments to the water column was positively correlated to the concentration of chlorides. Keywords Chlorides . Leaching . Marine sediment . Metals . Natural attenuation . Oxidation
Introduction Many aquatic environments are contaminated with high concentrations of anthropogenically introduced metals, and marine sediments are a receptor of these contaminants. Metals adsorbed to sediment can be remobilized and transferred back to the aquatic environment and to aquatic organisms. Sediments can therefore act as a sink, but also as a source of metal pollution. The evaluation of mobility and the effects of environmental factors on the mobility and the fate of metals is a critical issue. Reviews (Bacon and Davidson 2008) and studies (Cappuyns et al. 2006) have shown that only some Responsible editor: Vedula VSS Sarma * Ioanna Damikouka [email protected] 1
Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 115 21 Athens, Greece
2
Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Polytechniou, Zografou, 157 80 Athens, Greece
fractions of the contaminant load are mobile and bioavailable and thus affect sediment toxicity. For this reason, assessment of mobilization and transfer of metals, especially for Cu which is an algicide, from contaminated sediments to aquatic environment and to aquatic organisms is an es
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