Heavy metal mobility in contaminated sediments under seawater acidification

Wenjing Gao; Baoxiao Qu; Huamao Yuan; Jinming Song; Weibing Li

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115062

Heavy metal mobility in contaminated sediments under seawater acidification

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Jul:192:115062. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115062. Epub 2023 May 20.

Authors

Wenjing Gao¹, Baoxiao Qu², Huamao Yuan³, Jinming Song⁴, Weibing Li¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China. Electronic address: qubx@qdio.ac.cn.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China. Electronic address: yuanhuamao@qdio.ac.cn.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.

PMID: 37216879
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115062

Abstract

The behavior of heavy metals in contaminated sediment is of ecological significance considering the change of pH caused by ocean acidification. This study investigated the mobility of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, and Mn under experimental conditions for seawater acidification via enrichment of CO₂ gas at different reaction set-ups. The results indicated that the concerned metals behaved differently in the water compared to the sediment. The heavy metals were considerably transferred from sediment to seawater, and the resultant intensity was controlled by the degree of acidification and the chemical state of specific metals. Moreover, labile fractions of heavy metals in sediments were more susceptible to acidification than other fractions. These findings were observed and confirmed using real-time monitoring conducted via the diffusion gradient technique (DGT). Overall, the results of this study provided new insights into exploring the coupling risk of heavy metals with ocean acidification.

Keywords: Heavy metals; Mobility; Ocean acidification; Sediment; pH leaching experiment.

MeSH terms

Environmental Monitoring / methods
Geologic Sediments
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Ocean Acidification
Seawater
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Metals, Heavy
Water Pollutants, Chemical