Chemical mobility and bioavailabity of sediment-bound heavy metals influenced by salinity

Abstract

The transfer of metals from contaminated sediments to algal cell walls (Scenedesmus quadricauda) and organisms from various trophic levels (euryhaline osmoconform hydroid Cordylophora caspia and algae Brachiomonas submarina) was studied with a multichamber device. The system consists of a central chamber which contained the mud suspension and six external chambers containing the different biological indicators. The solids in the central and external chambers are separated by 0.45 μm-diameter membranes which allow diffusion of the mobilized, dissolved metal compounds. Experiments were performed with dredged sediments at various salinities (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 percent, respectively) and the kinetic of re-adsorption was obtained by taking samples after different time intervals. High enrichment of Cd was found in the living alga Brachiomonas submarina, but on the other side only a weak influence of salinity on re-adsorption could be observed. Model experiments with ionic Cd showed a clear dependency on Cd-sorption on the algae, Cd-concentration in solution, and salinity. These results indicate that the transfer of metals mainly depends on the specific surface properties of the substrates and on the specific chemical form of the dissolved mobilized metal.