A novel pollution index to assess the metal bioavailability and ecological risks in sediments

Chih-Feng Chen; Yee Cheng Lim; Yun-Ru Ju; Frank Paolo Jay B Albarico; Chiu-Wen Chen; Cheng-Di Dong

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114926

A novel pollution index to assess the metal bioavailability and ecological risks in sediments

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Jun:191:114926. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114926. Epub 2023 Apr 18.

Authors

Chih-Feng Chen¹, Yee Cheng Lim¹, Yun-Ru Ju², Frank Paolo Jay B Albarico³, Chiu-Wen Chen⁴, Cheng-Di Dong⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 81157, Taiwan.
² Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National United University, Miaoli 36063, Taiwan.
³ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 81157, Taiwan; Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 81157, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 81157, Taiwan. Electronic address: cwchen@nkust.edu.tw.
⁵ Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung City 81157, Taiwan. Electronic address: cddong@nkust.edu.tw.

PMID: 37075561
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114926

Abstract

The chemical forms of metals in sediments of ports around Taiwan were investigated using sequential extraction. Based on the availability of different chemical forms, novel indices such as bioavailability, mobility, availability, and availability risk of metals in sediments were developed. The results showed that Co, Zn, Pb, Mn, and Cu were mainly present in available forms (49-84 %), and the proportion of oxidative or reductive fractionation was the highest. This suggests that the redox potential is a major factor for metal mobility in the sediments. The results from the proposed indexes showed that metals in sediments have low bioavailability but high to very high mobility and availability. Primarily, the proposed index is more appropriate, as the current index for assessing total metal content may overestimate the level of risk. The indexes established can comprehensively evaluate the bioavailability, mobility, availability, and ecological risk of metals in sediments.

Keywords: Availability; Coastal; Harbor; Mobility; Redox potential; Sequential extraction.

MeSH terms

Biological Availability
Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments / chemistry
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Risk Assessment
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Water Pollutants, Chemical