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Distribution and source analysis of aluminum in rivers near Xi’an City, China

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Abstract

To study the status and source of aluminum (Al) contamination, a total of 21 sampling sites along six rivers near Xi’an City (Shaanxi province, China) were investigated during 2008–2010. The results indicated that the average concentration of total Al (Alt) in the six rivers increased by 1.6 times from 2008 to 2010. The spatial distribution of Alt concentrations in the rivers near Xi’an City was significantly different, ranged from 367 μg/L (Bahe River) to 1,978 μg/L (Taiping River). The Alt concentration was highest near an industrial area for pulp and paper-making (2,773 μg/L), where the Al level greatly exceeded the water quality criteria of both the USA (Criterion Continuous Concentration, 87 μg/L) and Canada (100 μg/L). The average concentration of inorganic monometric aluminum (Alim) was 72 μg/L which would pose threats to fishes and other aquatic lives in the rivers. The concentrations of exchangeable Al (Alex) in the sediment of the Taiping River sampled were relatively high, making it to be an alternative explanation of increasing Al concentrations in the rivers near Xi’an City. Furthermore, an increasing Al level has been detected in the upstream watershed near Xi’an City in recent years, which might indicate another notable pollution source of Al.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Major projects of National Science and Technology on control and rectification of water body pollution (grant no. 2009ZX07012-002-002) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 20907036 and 20936004). Dr. Rong Gao and Guichun Wang (Xi'an Research Institute of Environmental Protection) are thanked for their assistance with field work. The efforts of Shuang Guo, Jiang Liu, and Chaonan Ji are highly appreciated, especially for the sampling and laboratory analysis. Professor Jih-Gaw Lin, Dr. Shucheng Yang, and Yishan Lin are also gratefully acknowledged for their constructive suggestions.

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  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Dongqi Wang, Jidong Liang, Pei Liu & Pengyu Zhuang

  2. Department of Environment Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Yanling He

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Wang, D., He, Y., Liang, J. et al. Distribution and source analysis of aluminum in rivers near Xi’an City, China. Environ Monit Assess 185, 1041–1053 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2612-2

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