Impact of Eucalyptus residue leaching on iron distribution in reservoir sediments assessed by high-resolution DGT technique

Abstract

Blackwater occurs every winter in reservoirs with Eucalyptus plantations. The complexation reaction between ferric iron (Fe³⁺) and Eucalyptus leachate tannic acid from logging residues (especially leaves) is the vital cause of water blackness. However, the effect of Eucalyptus leaf leaching on the dynamic of iron in sediments and its contribution to reservoir blackwater remain unclear. In this study, two experiments were conducted to simulate the early decomposition processes of exotic Eucalyptus and native Pinus massoniana leaves in water (LW) and water-sediment (LWS) systems. In LW, high concentrations of tannic acid (>45.25 mg/L) rapidly leached from the Eucalyptus leaves to the water column, exceeding those of Pinus massoniana leaves (<1.80 mg/L). The chrominance increased from 5~10 to 80~140, and the water body finally appeared brown instead of black after the leaching of Eucalyptus leaves. The chrominance positively correlated with tannic acid concentrations (R=0.970, p<0.01), indicating that tannic acid was vital for the water column's brown color. Different in LWS, blackwater initially emerged near the sediment-water interface (SWI) and extended upward to the entire water column as Eucalyptus leaves leached. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and transmission values in the overlying water declined simultaneously (R>0.77, p<0.05) and were finally below 2.29 mg/L and 10%, respectively. During the leaching of Eucalyptus leaves, the DGT-labile Fe²⁺ in sediments migrated from deep to surface layers, and the diffusive fluxes of Fe²⁺ at the SWI increased from 12.42~19.93 to 18.98~26.28 mg/(m²·day), suggesting that sediment released abundant Fe³⁺ into the aerobic overlying water. Fe³⁺ was exposed to high concentrations of tannic acid at the SWI and immediately generated the black Fe-tannic acid complex. The results indicated that the supplement of dissolved Fe³⁺ from sediments is a critical factor for the periodic blackwater in the reservoirs with Eucalyptus plantations. Reducing the cultivation of Eucalyptus in the reservoir catchment is one of the effective ways to alleviate the reservoir blackwater.

Keywords: Blackwater; Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique; Eucalyptus; Iron; Tannic acid.