Assessment of Trace Metals Contamination, Species Distribution and Mobility in River Sediments Using EDTA Extraction

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jun 7;19(12):6978. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19126978.

Abstract

The impact of the ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on speciation image of selected trace metals (Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb) in bottom sediments was determined. The influence on the effectiveness of metal removal of extraction multiplicity, type of metal, extraction time and concentration of EDTA were analyzed. With the increase of extraction multiplicity, the concentration of EDTA and contact time, the efficiency of trace metals leaching increased. The speciation analysis revealed that EDTA not only leached metals from bioavailable fractions, but also caused the transition of the metals between the fractions. The biggest amounts of bioavailable forms were found for Cd, less for Zn. The amount of bioavailable fraction was the lowest for Cu and Pb. The two first-order kinetic models fitted well the kinetics of metals extraction with EDTA, allowing the metals fractionation into "labile" (Q1), "moderately labile" (Q2) and "not extractable" fractions (Q3).

Keywords: EDTA leaching; bottom sediments; heavy metals; residual trace metals; speciation; trace metals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cadmium / analysis
  • Edetic Acid
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Geologic Sediments
  • Lead / analysis
  • Metals, Heavy* / analysis
  • Rivers
  • Trace Elements* / analysis

Substances

  • Metals, Heavy
  • Trace Elements
  • Cadmium
  • Lead
  • Edetic Acid

Grants and funding

Warsaw University of Technology research grant Beyond POB II 504/04496/1110/45.010010: “The influence of natural sorbents on the trace metals stabilization in contaminated bottom sediments of freshwater reservoirs”.