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Clean Sampling and Analysis of River and Estuarine Waters for Trace Metal Studies
Published on: July 1, 2016
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Trace elements: water-sediment interactions in tropical rivers
Henrique Santana Costa1, Francisco Leonardo Tejerina-Garro2,3, Cleonice Rocha4,5
1Programa de Doutorado em Biotecnologia e Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rua 235, s/n, Setor Leste Universitário, Goiânia, GO, 74605-050, Brazil. henri.costa@pucgoias.edu.br.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
|August 9, 2017
Summary
Trace element interactions with river sediment were studied in Brazil. Chromium (Cr) tends to adsorb to sediment, posing a contamination risk in some rivers, while zinc (Zn) remains available in the water.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Geochemistry
- Aquatic Science
Background:
- Tropical rivers are vital ecosystems facing potential trace element contamination.
- Understanding water-sediment interactions is crucial for assessing aquatic ecosystem health.
- The Upper Paraná River basin is a significant hydrological system in Central Brazil.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the water-sediment partition coefficient (Kd) for trace elements (Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Zn) in tropical rivers.
- To evaluate the interaction dynamics of trace elements between water and sediment.
- To assess potential contamination risks posed by trace elements in the studied river systems.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of trace element concentrations (Cu, Cr, Zn) in water and sediment samples.
- Calculation of the partition coefficient (Kd) to quantify water-sediment interaction.
- Comparison of sediment concentrations with international reference values to assess contamination risk.
Main Results:
- Quantifiable concentrations of Copper (Cu), total Chromium (Cr), and Zinc (Zn) were found in water and sediment.
- Total Cr showed a strong tendency for adsorption to sediment (Kd range: 6.244–131.389), particularly in the São Francisco River.
- Zinc (Zn) exhibited availability in the water column across all sampling stations (Kd range: 0.234–1.289).
- Sediment Cr concentrations in the São Francisco River exceeded international reference values, indicating a contamination risk to aquatic life.
- Cr concentrations in four other rivers also posed a risk to the biota.
- Water temperature influenced Cu interaction, while pH affected Zn interaction.
Conclusions:
- Trace element interactions with river sediment vary significantly among different elements and river systems.
- Chromium poses a notable contamination risk in specific locations within the Upper Paraná River basin.
- Understanding environmental factors like temperature and pH is key to predicting trace element behavior in aquatic systems.
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