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Monte Carlo method applied to modeling copper transport in river sediments

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Abstract

Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) methodology has been applied to explain the variability of parameters for pollutant transport and fate modeling. In this study, the MCS method was used to evaluate the transport and fate of copper in the sediment of the Tibagi River sub-basin tributaries, Southern Brazil. The statistical distribution of the variables was described by a dataset obtained for copper concentration using sequential extraction, organic matter (OM) amount, and pH. The proposed stochastic spatial model for the copper transport in the river sediment was discussed and implemented by the MCS technique using the MatLab 7.3™ mathematical software tool. In order to test some hypotheses, the sediment and the water column in the river ecosystem were considered as compartments. The proposed stochastic spatial model makes it possible to predict copper mobility and associated risks as a function of the organic matter input into aquatic systems. The metal mobility can increase with the OM posing a rising environmental risk.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially funded by the Brazilian agency The National Council for Scientific Technological Development (CNPq) under Research Grant Contract #303426/2009-8 and scholarship. The authors would like to express gratitude to the Associate Editor and anonymous reviewers for their invaluably constructive suggestions and helpful comments, which have enhanced the readability and quality of the manuscript. Finally, authors would like to thank Evgeny Galunin for providing language help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Department, State University of Londrina (DQ-UEL), Londrina, PR, 86051-990, Brazil

    Marcela Z. Corazza, Sonia M. N. Gimenez & Maria Josefa Santos

  2. Electrical Engineering Department, State University of Londrina (UEL), Londrina, PR, Brazil

    Taufik Abrão

  3. Analytical Chemistry Department, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, RJ, 24020-141, Brazil

    Fábio Grandis Lepri

  4. Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo (IQ-USP), São Paulo, Brazil

    Elisabeth Oliveira

Authors
  1. Marcela Z. Corazza
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  2. Taufik Abrão
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  3. Fábio Grandis Lepri
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  4. Sonia M. N. Gimenez
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  5. Elisabeth Oliveira
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  6. Maria Josefa Santos
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Correspondence to Maria Josefa Santos.

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Corazza, M.Z., Abrão, T., Lepri, F.G. et al. Monte Carlo method applied to modeling copper transport in river sediments. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 26, 1063–1079 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-012-0564-2

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