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Heavy metal in sediments of Ziya River in northern China: distribution, potential risks, and source apportionment

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Abstract

The concentration partitioning between the sediment particle and the interstitial water phase plays an important role in controlling the toxicity of heavy metals in aquatic systems. The aim of this study was to assess the sediment quality in a polluted area of the Ziya River, Northern China. The contamination potential and bioavailability of six metals were determined from the concentrations of total metals and the bioavailable fractions. The results showed that the concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb exceeded the probable effect concentration at several sites. The high geoaccumulation indices showed that the sediments were seriously contaminated by Cd. The ratio of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) to simultaneously extracted metal (SEM) was higher than 1, which indicated that the availability of metals in sediments was low. The risk assessment of interstitial waters confirmed that there was little chance of release of metals associated with acid-volatile sulfide into the water column. Values of the interstitial water criteria toxicity unit indicated that none of the concentrations of the studied metals exceeded the corresponding water quality thresholds of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Positive matrix factorization showed that the major sources of metals were related to anthropogenic activities. Further, if assessments are based on total heavy metal concentrations, the toxicity of heavy metals in sediment may be overestimated.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (No. 2012ZX07203-006); the special fund from the State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (Project No. 15L01ESPC); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21107126).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Xiaolei Zhu, Baoqing Shan & Wenzhong Tang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xiaolei Zhu

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  1. Xiaolei Zhu
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  2. Baoqing Shan
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  3. Wenzhong Tang
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Correspondence to Baoqing Shan or Wenzhong Tang.

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Responsible editor: Stuart Simpson

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Zhu, X., Shan, B. & Tang, W. Heavy metal in sediments of Ziya River in northern China: distribution, potential risks, and source apportionment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 23511–23521 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7561-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7561-9

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