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Platinum-Group Elements in Urban Fluvial Bed Sediments—Hawaii

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Platinum Metals in the Environment

Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVSCIENCE))

Abstract

Results from a detailed examination of the abundance, spatial variability and grain-size fractionation of platinum-group elements (PGEs; iridium, Ir; palladium, Pd; platinum, Pt; and rhodium, Rh) in bed sediments of an urban stream in Honolulu (Hawaii, USA) indicate significant contamination of Pd, Pt, and Rh. PGE concentrations in sediments located in close proximity to storm drains followed the sequence of Pt (10.3–24.5 ng g−1) > Pd (5.9–12.6 ng g−1) > Rh (0.82–2.85 ng g−1) > Ir (0.11–0.23 ng g−1). From a contamination perspective, enrichment ratios followed the sequence of Rh (25.3) ≫ Pd (6.9) = Pt (6.8) ≫ Ir (2.3). Iridium was primarily geogenic in origin, while the remaining PGEs indicated significant anthropogenic contamination. Attrition of the PGE-loaded three-way catalytic converters and their release to the road environment is the most likely source of PGEs in the stream sediments examined. PGE enrichment of bed sediments likely resulted from direct transport of sediment-associated road runoff via storm drains. Preliminary work on grain-size partitioning showed preferential enrichment and mass loading of Pd, Pt, and Rh in grain-size fractions ranging from 63 to 1,000 μm. Data from this study have direct implications for contaminant transport, and sediment source identification in urban catchments. Rhodium, in particular, emerged as an element potentially useful for sediment fingerprinting.

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Acknowledgments

The authors greatly appreciate the field assistance provided by Stephanie Andrews and Dr. Matt McGranaghan in sampling bed sediment samples in Nuuanu catchment. The financial assistance provided by the seed-money grant to RAS by the College of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa is gratefully acknowledged. Manuscript preparation benefitted from National University of Singapore FASS Research Facilitation Workshop in 2011 (R-109-000-115-112).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geomorphology Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Hawaii, 2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Ross A. Sutherland

  2. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, 1-26 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada

    Graham D. Pearson

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, South Rd., Durham, DH1 3LE, UK

    Chris J. Ottley

  4. Geography Department, National University of Singapore, 1 Arts Link, Kent Ridge, Singapore, 117570, Singapore

    Alan D. Ziegler

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  1. Ross A. Sutherland
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  4. Alan D. Ziegler
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Correspondence to Ross A. Sutherland .

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  1. Department of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Fathi Zereini

  2. School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Clare L.S. Wiseman

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Sutherland, R.A., Pearson, G.D., Ottley, C.J., Ziegler, A.D. (2015). Platinum-Group Elements in Urban Fluvial Bed Sediments—Hawaii. In: Zereini, F., Wiseman, C. (eds) Platinum Metals in the Environment. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44559-4_12

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