Abstract
Purpose
Disposal operations for industrially polluted sediments are usually accompanied by disturbance and resuspension, which can induce metal remobilization and secondary pollution. Evaluating the risk of metal release under various redox conditions is fundamental for predicting contaminant mobilization and guiding remediation measures.
Methods
An abandoned oxidation pond, Yanjia Lake, China, was selected as a typical industrially polluted site. Re-suspension experiments were carried out by mixing polluted sediments with lake water under oxic or anoxic conditions, then investigating the effect of oxidation conditions on the release of multiple metals. Metal concentrations and aqueous chemistry in the overlying water were monitored. Synchrotron-based methods, including X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), were used to characterize oxidation states and coordination conditions of metals in sediments.
Results
The release of metals, including Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, Sn, Cd, and Pb, was enhanced under oxic vs. anoxic conditions. The XANES analysis revealed that elevated Cr and Zn concentrations under oxic conditions likely resulted from the oxidation of Cr(III) and oxidizing dissolution of ZnS, respectively. K-edge Cu XANES, S XANES, and Cu EXAFS analyses reconstructed the Cu–S association, indicating that S-related oxidation promoted Cu release and Cu–O partly replaced Cu–S in the sediment after a 7-day oxic treatment.
Conclusion
The release of most metals was promoted under oxic conditions, resulting from the oxidation of sulfides and metals as indicated by aqueous and synchrotron-based evidence. The risk of secondary pollution is greatly enhanced under oxic conditions, which suggests that measures should be taken to minimize the redox disturbance during sediment remediation. This information can guide the management of sediments in Yanjia Lake and other contaminated sites with similar properties.
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Acknowledgements
X-ray absorption spectroscopy analyses were performed at Beamline 4B7A of Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, SXRMB at the Canadian Light Source, and Beamlines 13ID, 9BM, and 20BM at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. We are thankful for the assistance of Xin Lan, Xin Liu, and Zhihang Ye.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 41521001, 41877478), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (grant number CUGGC06)), and the 111 Program (grant number B18049).
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Yu Feng: conceptualization, methodology, data curation, visualization, software, writing—original draft preparation. Peng Liu: supervision, funding acquisition, project administration. Xianjun Xie: conceptualization, resources. Yiqun Gan: supervision, funding acquisition. Chunli Su: methodology, resources. YingYing Liu: writing—review and editing; validation. Y. Zou Finfrock: methodology; writing—review and editing; resources. Yongjie Wang: data curation, investigation.
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Feng, Y., Liu, P., Xie, X. et al. Effect of oxidation on the release of multiple metals from industrially polluted sediments and synchrotron-based evidence of Cu–S dynamic association. J Soils Sediments 22, 2827–2839 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03288-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03288-8