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Interacting Effect of pH, Phosphate and Time on the Release of Arsenic from Polluted River Sediments (Anllóns River, Spain)

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Abstract

The interacting effect of pH, phosphate and time on the release of arsenic (As) from As-rich river bed sediments was studied. Arsenic release edges and kinetic release experiments (pH range 3–10), in the absence and presence of phosphate, coupled with sequential extraction procedures, SEM/EDX analyses and geochemical calculations, were carried out to evaluate As remobilisation and to elucidate the mechanisms involved. The results showed that As release underwent pronounced kinetic effects, which were strongly influenced by pH and phosphate. Remobilisation of As after 24 h was low (between ~1 and 5%) and varied slightly with pH, whereas alkaline conditions generally promoted As remobilisation after 168 h, with up to 12–21% of total As released. The results showed that depending on the pH and sediment considered, the release of As increased dramatically after ~48–72 h, suggesting that different processes are involved at different reaction periods. The addition of phosphate (1 mM) increased both the amount of As released (between 2 and 8 times) and the rate of As release from the sediments within the entire pH range (3–10) and period (168 h) studied. Moreover, in some cases, it also affected the shape of the As release edges and kinetic profiles. The similarities in the release profiles and the positive correlations between As and some sediment components, especially Fe and Al hydroxides, and organic matter—which appears to play a key role at high pH—suggest that As release from the studied sediments may be associated with solid phase dissolution processes under both acid and alkaline pH, whereas desorption plays a key role in the short term and at natural pH conditions, especially in the presence of phosphate, which acts as an As-displacing ligand. Evaluation of As mobility based on short-time leaching experiments may seriously underestimate the mobilisation of As from sediments.

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Acknowledgments

The present study was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (Project CGL2007-62928). David Rubinos wishes to acknowledge the support of the Xunta de Galicia (Programa de Recursos Humanos: Plan Galego de Investigación, Desenvolvemento e Innovación Tecnolóxica de Galicia INCITE 2006–2011) and the European Social Fund.

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  1. Departamento de Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Sur, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    David A. Rubinos, Luz Iglesias, Francisco Díaz-Fierros & María Teresa Barral

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  1. David A. Rubinos
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  2. Luz Iglesias
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Correspondence to David A. Rubinos.

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Rubinos, D.A., Iglesias, L., Díaz-Fierros, F. et al. Interacting Effect of pH, Phosphate and Time on the Release of Arsenic from Polluted River Sediments (Anllóns River, Spain). Aquat Geochem 17, 281–306 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-011-9135-2

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