Abstract
Purpose
The geochemistry of rare earth elements (REEs, La to Lu) in suspended sediments (SS) is generally controlled by weathering processes and the water environment. Although the concentrations and fractionations of REEs in SS have been reported in the Zhujiang River, China, their variations and controlling factors have not been researched. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify the REE controlling factors in SS through their variations of concentrations and fractionations during 14 years (from 2000 to 2014).
Material and methods
The concentrations of REEs, light REE (LREE, La to Nd), middle REE (MREE, Sm to Ho), and heavy REE (HREE, Er to Lu) in the SS of the Zhujiang River were investigated, and REE fractionation proxies including ∑LREE/∑HREE, ∑MREE/∑HREE, and Ce and Eu anomalies were calculated. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation relationships between physicochemical parameters, REE concentrations, and REE fractionation proxies were analyzed.
Results and discussion
The ∑REE concentrations of SS in the Zhujiang River varied from 35.9 to 396.4 mg kg−1 (mean 229.6 mg kg−1), higher than the world’s rivers (mean 174.8 mg kg−1). Moreover, ∑REE, ∑LREE, ∑MREE, and ∑HREE concentrations increased along the flow direction. PAAS-normalized REE ratios showed that MREE in SS were enriched relative to LREE and HREE. The concentrations of all REEs in SS significantly correlated with Fe, Al, and K concentrations positively, while significantly correlating with Ca and Na concentrations in a negative trend. These correlation relationships between the concentrations of REEs and major metal elements were attributed to the spatial variation of rock distribution based on the same source (weathering processes and soil erosion) of REEs and major metal elements in SS. The physicochemical properties affected REE fractionation in SS, such as clay minerals, water pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO). During 14 years from 2000 to 2014, the decrement of soil erosion reduced the REE concentrations of SS in the upper reaches. Meanwhile, river water acidification resulted in the weakening negative Ce anomaly and positive Eu anomaly of SS. These results suggested that the variations of REE concentrations and fractionations in SS were mainly controlled by soil erosion and water pH in the Zhujiang River from 2000 to 2014.
Conclusions
The concentrations of REEs in SS mainly depend on weathering processes, while REE fractionations are closely associated with river water physicochemical properties in the Zhujiang River.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alderton DHM, Pearce JA, Potts PJ (1980) Rare earth element mobility during granite alteration: evidence from southwest England. Earth Planet Sci Lett 49:149–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(80)90157-0
Altomare AJ, Young NA, Beazley MJ (2020) A preliminary survey of anthropogenic gadolinium in water and sediment of a constructed wetland. J Environ Manage 255:109897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109897
Amalan K, Ratnayake AS, Ratnayake NP, Weththasinghe SM, Dushyantha N, Lakmali N, Premasiri R (2018) Influence of nearshore sediment dynamics on the distribution of heavy mineral placer deposits in Sri Lanka. Environ Earth Sci 77:737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7914-4
Bayon G, Toucanne S, Skonieczny C, André L, Bermell S, Cheron S, Dennielou B, Etoubleau J, Freslon N, Gauchery T (2015) Rare earth elements and neodymium isotopes in world river sediments revisited. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 170:17–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2015.08.001
Brookins DG (1989) Aqueous geochemistry of rare-earth elements. Rev Mineral 21:201–225
CEMS (China Environmental Monitoring Station) (1990) Background Values of Elements in Soils of China. China Environmental Science Press. Beijing
Chelnokov GA, Bragin IV, Kharitonova NA (2020) Geochemistry of rare earth elements in the rivers and groundwaters of chistovodnoe thermal area (primorye, far east of Russia). Earth Environ Sci 459:042065. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/459/4/042065
Cholet C, Steinmann M, Charlier J-B, Denimal S (2019) Characterizing fluxes of trace metals related to dissolved and suspended matter during a storm event: application to a karst aquifer using trace metals and rare earth elements as provenance indicators. Hydrol J 27:305–319. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-018-1859-2
da Silva Y, do Nascimento C, da Silva Y, Amorim F, Cantalice J, Singh V, Collins A (2018) Bed and suspended sediment-associated rare earth element concentrations and fluxes in a polluted Brazilian river system. Environ Sci Pollut R 25:34426–34437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3357-4
Dagg M, Benner R, Lohrenz S, Lawrence D (2004) Transformation of dissolved and particulate materials on continental shelves influenced by large rivers: plume processes. Cont Shelf Res 24:833–858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2004.02.003
Dushyantha N, Batapola N, Ilankoon IMSK et al (2020) The story of rare earth elements (REEs): occurrences, global distribution, genesis, geology, mineralogy and global production. Ore Geol Rev 122:103521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103521
Elderfield H, Upstill-Goddard R, Sholkovitz ER (1990) The rare earth elements in rivers, estuaries, and coastal seas and their significance to the composition of ocean waters. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54:971–991. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(90)90432-K
Elias MS, Ibrahim S, Samuding K, Kantasamy N, Rahman SA, Hashim A (2019) Rare earth elements (REEs) as pollution indicator in sediment of Linggi River, Malaysia. Appl Radiat Isot 151:116–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2019.05.038
Goldstein SJ, Jacobsen SB (1988) Rare-earth elements in river waters. Earth Planet Sci Lett 89:35–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821x(88)90031-3
Han G, Lv P, Tang Y, Song Z (2018) Spatial and temporal variation of H and O isotopic compositions of the Xijiang River system, Southwest China. Isot Environ Health Stud 54:137–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/10256016.2017.1368507
Han G, Tang Y, Liu M et al (2020) Carbon-nitrogen isotope coupling of soil organic matter in a karst region under land use change. Southwest China Agr Ecosyst Environ 301:107027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2020.107027
Han G, Xu Z, Tang Y, Zhang G (2009) Rare earth element patterns in the karst terrains of Guizhou Province, China: implication for water/particle interaction. Aquat Geochem 15:457–484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-009-9061-8
Han GL, Liu CQ (2004) Water geochemistry controlled by carbonate dissolution: a study of the river waters draining karst-dominated terrain, Guizhou Province, China. Chem Geol 204:1–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2003.09.009
Huang Z, Fan M, Tian H (2020) Rare earth elements of fly ash from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin coal. J Rare Earths 38:219–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jre.2019.05.004
Jackson GA, Burd AB (2015) Simulating aggregate dynamics in ocean biogeochemical models. Prog Oceanogr 133:55–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2014.08.014
Johannesson KH, Tang J, Daniels JM, Bounds WJ, Burdige DJ (2004) Rare earth element concentrations and speciation in organic-rich blackwaters of the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia, USA. Chem Geol 209:271–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2004.06.012
Jones AM, Xue Y, Kinsela AS, Wilcken KM, Collins RN (2016) Donnan membrane speciation of Al, Fe, trace metals and REEs in coastal lowland acid sulfate soil-impacted drainage waters. Sci Total Environ 547:104–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.01.024
Krickov IV, Lim AG, Manasypov RM et al (2020) Major and trace elements in suspended matter of western Siberian rivers: first assessment across permafrost zones and landscape parameters of watersheds. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 269:429–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2019.11.005
Li X, Han G (2021) One-step chromatographic purification of K, Ca, and Sr from geological samples for high precision stable and radiogenic isotope analysis by MC-ICP-MS. J Anal Atom Spectrom 36:676–684. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ja00467g
Li X, Han G, Zhang Q, Miao Z (2020) An optimal separation method for high-precision K isotope analysis by using MC-ICP-MS with a dummy bucket. J Anal Atom Spectrom 35:1330–1339. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ja00127a
Linders T, Infantes E, Joyce A et al (2018) Particle sources and transport in stratified Nordic coastal seas in the Anthropocene. Elementa-Sci Anthrop 6:29. https://doi.org/10.1525/journal.elementa.149
Liu J, Han G (2020) Major ions and δ34SSO4 in Jiulongjiang River water: investigating the relationships between natural chemical weathering and human perturbations. Sci Total Environ 724:138208
Liu J, Han G (2021) Tracing riverine particulate black carbon sources in Xijiang River basin: insight from stable isotopic composition and Bayesian mixing model. Water Res 194:116932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.116932
Liu M, Han G, Li X (2021a) Comparative analysis of soil nutrients under different land-use types in the Mun River basin of Northeast Thailand. J Soils Sediments 21:1136–1150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02870-2
Liu M, Han G, Li X (2021b) Using stable nitrogen isotope to indicate soil nitrogen dynamics under agricultural soil erosion in the Mun River basin. Northeast Thailand Ecol Indic 128:107814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107814
Liu M, Han G, Zhang Q (2020) Effects of agricultural abandonment on soil aggregation, soil organic carbon storage and stabilization: results from observation in a small karst catchment. Southwest China Agr Ecosyst Environ 288:106719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.106719
Louvat P, Allègre CJ (1998) Riverine erosion rates on Sao Miguel volcanic island, Azores archipelago. Chem Geol 148:177–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0009-2541(98)00028-X
Ma L, Dang DH, Wang W, Evans RD, Wang W-X (2019) Rare earth elements in the Pearl River Delta of China: potential impacts of the REE industry on water, suspended particles and oysters. Environ Pollut 244:190–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.10.015
Marmolejo-Rodríguez AJ, Prego R, Meyer-Willerer A, Shumilin E, Sapozhnikov D (2007) Rare earth elements in iron oxy−hydroxide rich sediments from the Marabasco River-Estuary System (pacific coast of Mexico). REE affinity with iron and aluminium. J Geochem Explor 94:43–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2007.05.003
Meryem B, Ji H, Gao Y, Ding H, Li C (2016) Distribution of rare earth elements in agricultural soil and human body (scalp hair and urine) near smelting and mining areas of Hezhang, China. J Rare Earths 34:1156–1167. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0721(16)60148-5
Michaelides K, Ibraim I, Nord G, Esteves M (2010) Tracing sediment redistribution across a break in slope using rare earth elements. Earth Surf Proc Land 35:575–587. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1956
Migaszewski ZM, Galuszka A (2015) The characteristics, occurrence, and geochemical behavior of rare earth elements in the environment: a review. Crit Rev Environ Sci Tech 45:429–471. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2013.866622
Migaszewski ZM, Gałuszka A, Dołęgowska S (2019) Extreme enrichment of arsenic and rare earth elements in acid mine drainage: case study of Wiśniówka mining area (south-central Poland). Environ Pollut 244:898–906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.10.106
MWRPRC (The Ministry of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China) (2020) Chinese soil and water conservation bulletin
Naccarato A, Tassone A, Cavaliere F et al (2020) Agrochemical treatments as a source of heavy metals and rare earth elements in agricultural soils and bioaccumulation in ground beetles. Sci Total Environ 749:141438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141438
Nozaki Y, Lerche D, Alibo DS, Snidvongs A (2000) The estuarine geochemistry of rare earth elements and indium in the Chao Phraya River, Thailand. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 64:3983–3994. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(00)00473-7
Petelet-Giraud E, Klaver G, Negrel P (2009) Natural versus anthropogenic sources in the surface- and groundwater dissolved load of the Dommel river (Meuse basin): constraints by boron and strontium isotopes and gadolinium anomaly. J Hydrol 369:336–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.02.029
Quinn KA, Byrne RH, Schijf J (2006) Sorption of yttrium and rare earth elements by amorphous ferric hydroxide: influence of solution complexation with carbonate. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 70:4151–4165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2006.06.014
Rogers KL, Bosman SH, Weber S, Magen C, Montoya JP, Chanton JP (2019) Sources of carbon to suspended particulate organic matter in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Elementa-Sci Anthrop 7:51. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.389
Roussiez V, Aubert D, Heussner S (2013) Continental sources of particles escaping the Gulf of Lion evidenced by rare earth elements: flood vs. normal conditions. Mar Chem 153:31–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marchem.2013.04.010
Shabani MB, Masuda A (1991) Sample introduction by on-line two-stage solvent extraction and back-extraction to eliminate matrix interference and to enhance sensitivity in the determination of rare earth elements with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Anal Chem 63:2099–2105. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac00019a007
Shajib MTI, Hansen HCB, Liang T, Holm PE (2020) Rare earth elements in surface specific urban runoff in Northern Beijing. Sci Total Environ 717:136969. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136969
Sholkovitz ER, Landing WM, Lewis BL (1994) Ocean particle chemistry: the fractionation of rare-earth elements between suspended particles and seawater. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 58:1567–1579. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(94)90559-2
Smith C, Liu X-M (2018) Spatial and temporal distribution of rare earth elements in the Neuse River, North Carolina. Chem Geol 488:34–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.04.003
Suja S, Fernandes LL, Rao VP (2017) Distribution and fractionation of rare earth elements and Yttrium in suspended and bottom sediments of the Kali estuary, western India. Environ Earth Sci 76:174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6497-9
Takeno N (2005) Atlas of Eh-pH diagrams intercomparison of thermodynamic databases. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology Tokyo 419:285
Taylor SR, McLennan SM (1985) The continental crust: its composition and evolution. Blackwell, London, Oxford
Vercruysse K, Grabowski RC, Rickson RJ (2017) Suspended sediment transport dynamics in rivers: multi-scale drivers of temporal variation. Earth-Sci Rev 166:38–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.12.016
Viers J, Dupre B, Gaillardet J (2009) Chemical composition of suspended sediments in World Rivers: new insights from a new database. Sci Total Environ 407:853–868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.09.053
Volokh AA, Gorbunov AV, Gundorina SF, Revich BA, Frontasyeva MV, Chen Sen P (1990) Phosphorus fertilizer production as a source of rare-earth elements pollution of the environment. Sci Total Environ 95:141–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-9697(90)90059-4
Wang Q, Deng J, Liu X, Zhang Q, Sun S, Jiang C, Zhou F (2010) Discovery of the REE minerals and its geological significance in the Quyang bauxite deposit, West Guangxi, China. J Asian Earth Sci 39:701–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2010.05.005
WRB IWG (World Reference Base for Soil Resources) (2014) International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps. World Soil Resources Report
Xu Z, Han G (2009) Rare earth elements (REE) of dissolved and suspended loads in the Xijiang River, South China. Appl Geochem 24:1803–1816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2009.06.001
Zeng J, Han G (2020a) Preliminary copper isotope study on particulate matter in Zhujiang River, southwest China: application for source identification. Ecotox Environ Safe 198:110663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110663
Zeng J, Han G (2020b) Tracing zinc sources with Zn isotope of fluvial suspended particulate matter in Zhujiang River, Southwest China. Ecol Indic 118:106723
Zhang Q, Han G, Liu M, Wang L (2019) Geochemical characteristics of rare earth elements in soils from Puding Karst Critical Zone Observatory. Southwest China Sustainability 11:4963. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11184963
Zhen G, Li Y, Tong Y, Yang L, Zhu Y, Zhang W (2016) Temporal variation and regional transfer of heavy metals in the Pearl (Zhujiang) River, China. Environ Sci Pollut R 23:8410–8420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6077-7
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully thank Dr. Yang Tang from the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Danyang Zhang from China University of Geosciences (Beijing) for their laboratory assistance. We also thank Shitong Zhang from China University of Geosciences (Beijing) for the English polishing.
Funding
This work was supported jointly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41325010; 41661144029).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Research involving human participants and/or animal
This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Responsible editor: Patrick Byrne
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Han, G., Yang, K. & Zeng, J. Distribution and fractionation of rare earth elements in suspended sediment of the Zhujiang River, Southwest China. J Soils Sediments 21, 2981–2993 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03008-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03008-8