Assessment of rare earth elements variations in five water systems in Beijing: Distribution, geochemical features, and fractionation patterns

Mory Traore; Min Zhang; Aijun Gong; Yiwen Wang; Yang Liu; Lina Qiu; Yuli Zhang; Yueyi You; Yuzhen Bai; Ge Gao; Weiyu Zhao; Mariame Traore; Mahamat Abderamane Hassan

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118842

Assessment of rare earth elements variations in five water systems in Beijing: Distribution, geochemical features, and fractionation patterns

Environ Res. 2024 Apr 5;252(Pt 2):118842. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118842. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Mory Traore¹, Min Zhang², Aijun Gong³, Yiwen Wang¹, Yang Liu¹, Lina Qiu¹, Yuli Zhang⁴, Yueyi You⁴, Yuzhen Bai¹, Ge Gao¹, Weiyu Zhao¹, Mariame Traore⁵, Mahamat Abderamane Hassan⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
² Baotou Water Quality Detection Technology Co., Ltd, Baotou 014000, China.
³ School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China. Electronic address: gongaijun5661@ustb.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
⁵ Guinean Agency of Environmental Evaluation (AGEE), Ministry of Environment and Durable Development, Conakry 761, Guinea.
⁶ School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.

PMID: 38583656
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118842

Abstract

This study investigates the distribution of rare earth elements (REEs) within the Beijing water system, specifically examining the Yongding, Chaobai, Beiyun, Jiyun, and Daqing rivers. Results indicate that the Beiyun River exhibits the highest REE concentrations, ranging from 35.95 to 59.78 μg/mL, while the Daqing River shows the lowest concentrations, ranging from 15.79 to 17.48 μg/mL. LREEs (La to Nd) predominate with a total concentration of 23.501 μg/mL, leading to a notable LREE/HREE ratio of 7.901. Positive Ce anomalies (0.70-1.11) and strong positive Eu anomalies (1.38-2.49) were observed. The study suggests that the Beijing water system's REEs may originate from geological and anthropogenic sources, such as mining and industrial activities in neighboring regions, including Inner Mongolia. These findings underscore the importance of ongoing monitoring and effective water management strategies to address REE-related environmental concerns.

Keywords: Anomalies; Beijing; Geochemistry; Rare earth elements (REEs); Water systems.