Spatial Pattern, Sources Identification, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Typical Soda Soil from Bayannur, Northwestern China.

Soil is an important natural resource in the agricultural areas of northwest China. The heavy metal concentration and ecological risk assessments are crucial for food safety and human health. This work collected 35 surface soil samples and focused on a typical soda soil quality of the Hetao Plain in Bayannur, which is an important grain production base in northern China. The concentration and composition of heavy metal (arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn)), soluble salts, total organic carbon (TOC), and minerals of the surface soils were analyzed to assess the biotoxicity, ecological risk, sources, and influencing factors of heavy metals in these soda soil from this region. The enrichment factors (EF) showed that As, Co, Cu, and Pb were not contaminated in these soils, while Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, and Zn were lightly contaminated. The index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) for the soda soils indicated that Co and Pb were uncontaminated, and Cr, Cd, Ni, Zn, Hg, Cu, and As were lightly contaminated. The potential ecological risk index (RI) indicated there were no or low risks for As, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn. Although the concentrations of Cd and Hg in the soil were low, the two heavy metals exhibited moderate-high ecological risk because they have high biological toxicity. Cd in the soils from Hetao Plain in Bayannur is mainly exchangeable and reducible fractions. The other heavy metals in these soda soils are mainly in residue fraction, implying that their mobility is low and not easily absorbed and used by plants. Heavy metal fractions, principal component analysis (PCA), and correlation analysis showed that As, Co, Cr, Cu, and Pb were mainly from natural sources, while Ni, Cd, and Zn were mainly from anthropogenic discharge-related irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticide application, and Hg was mainly from winter snowfall in the study area. Naturally sourced metal elements have obvious sediment properties, and their adsorption by clay minerals and coupling with organic matter along with sediment transport sorting. The salinity and pH of soda soils in the study area have a highly positive correlation, hence the influence of factors on the concentrations of soil heavy metals are consistent. For anthropogenically imported heavy metals, increasing salinity and pH promote the precipitation of metallic elements in water. Cd is present as an exchangeable and reducible fraction, while Ni and Zn are mainly sequestered by organic matter and clay minerals.

Distribution, Assessment, and Source of Heavy Metals in Sediments of the Qinjiang River, China.

Heavy metals are toxic, persistent, and non-degradable. After sedimentation and adsorption, they accumulate in water sediments. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of heavy metal pollution of Qinjiang River sediments and its effects on the ecological environment and apportioning sources. The mean total concentrations of Mn, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Pb are 3.14, 2.33, 1.39, 5.79, and 1.33 times higher than the background values, respectively. Co, Ni, and Cd concentrations are lower than the background values. Fe, Co, Ni, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb are all primarily in the residual state, while Mn and Zn are primarily in the acid-soluble and oxidizable states, respectively. Igeo, RI, SQGs, and RAC together indicate that the pollution status and ecological risk of heavy metals in Qinjiang River sediments are generally moderate; among them, Fe, Co, Ni, Cd, Cr, and Pb are not harmful to the ecological environment of the Qinjiang River. Cu is not readily released because of its higher residual composition, suggesting that Cu is less harmful to the ecological environment. Mn and Zn, as the primary pollution factors of the Qinjiang River, are harmful to the ecological environment. This heavy metal pollution in surface sediments of the Qinjiang River primarily comes from manganese and zinc ore mining. Manganese carbonate and its weathered secondary manganese oxide are frequently associated with a significant amount of residual copper and Cd, as a higher pH is suitable for the deposition and enrichment of these heavy metals. Lead-zinc ore and its weathering products form organic compounds with residual Fe, Co, Cr, and Ni, and their content is related to salinity. The risk assessment results of heavy metals in sediments provide an important theoretical basis for the prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in Qinjiang River.

Distribution characteristics, source identification, and risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments of the salt lakes in the Ordos Plateau, China.

Salt lakes considerably affect the regional climate, environment, and ecology of semiarid regions characterized by low rainfall and high evaporation. However, under the stresses of global change and human disturbance, anthropogenic pollution is the primary factor threatening the lake's ecological environment. Surface sediment samples collected from four salt lakes in the Ordos Plateau were used to investigate the salinity, concentration, pollution status, potential sources of heavy metals, and influencing factors. The surface sediments of Beida Pond and Gouchi Pond were weakly alkaline (pH < 9) due to the presence of Na2SO4, whereas those of Chaigannaoer and Hongjiannao were strongly alkaline (pH > 9) due to the presence of Na2CO3. The concentration range of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb in the sediment samples collected from the salt lakes in the Ordos Plateau followed the order of Cr > Zn > Ni > Pb > Cu > As > Cd. The Cr concentration values were higher in Chagannaoer and Hongjiannao; however, the Ni, Cu, and Zn values were higher in Beida Pond and Gouchi Pond. The geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF) consistently indicated that Cr posed the greatest potential ecological risk and that Ni, Cu, and Zn pollution was more severe in Beida Pond and Gouchi Pond than in Chagannaoer or Hongjiannao. However, the ecological risk index and potential ecological risk value indicated that these heavy metals posed low risks to the environment. The risk assessment code (RAC) revealed that Pb and Cr exhibited no mobility and had low potential bioavailability risk. Meanwhile, Zn, Ni, and As were categorized as medium risk. Cu had the highest mobility and was categorized as high risk. Principal component analysis for the four salt lakes revealed that the source of Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd might be associated with water-soluble elements associated with aqueous migration, while the source of Cr, Pb, and As might be the lithospheric minerals carried by dust storms. Pearson's correlation analysis indicated that clay minerals were the primary adsorbers of Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd. Moreover, pH was identified as the main environmental factor controlling the distribution of heavy metals in the salt lakes.

Are oil spills an important source of heavy metal contamination in the Bohai Sea, China?

Accurate evaluation of the heavy metal contamination caused by oil spills is more urgent than that of organic pollution since heavy metals are toxic and persistent. This study applies bulk geochemical parameters and hydrocarbon compositions to explore heavy metal contamination caused by oil spills. The contents of six heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, and Co), total organic carbon, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and grain size were measured in 50 subsurface sediment samples obtained from an area affected by oil spills in the Bohai Sea. The values of the contamination factor (CF), the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and the enrichment factor (EF) indicate moderate contamination with the six investigated heavy metals at most of the sampling sites. Riverine inputs, oil spills, and airborne dust are the three main sources of the heavy metals, and oil spills are the significant source of heavy metal contamination in the areas. The distributions of the mean grain size (Mz) and the contents of unresolved complex mixture (UCM) and Cr suggest that crude oil migrates from deep hydrocarbon reservoirs through geological faults and seeps through coarse-grained sediments until it reaches fine-grained sediments. The spilled oil contributes appreciable amounts of heavy metals to the sediments at the oil-contaminated sites. At these sites, the heavy metals from oil spills overprinted on those contributed by terrigenous materials, which are the predominant source of metals in the subsurface sediments in the areas affected by oil spills.

Distribution and controls of heavy metals and organic matter in the surface sediments of the Southern Yellow Sea, China.

Accurate and effective determination of the source of heavy metals is essential for the treatment of marine ecological environments. This article attempts to combine geochemical composition data and hydrocarbon composition data to achieve this purpose. The concentrations of six heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni, and Co), grain size, total organic carbon (TOC) content, Al2O3 content, and aliphatic hydrocarbons (AHs) in 501 surface samples from the Southern Yellow Sea (SYS) were analyzed. The results showed that most sample sites ranged from not polluted to moderately polluted. However, Cu, Pb, Cr, and Ni may represent potential hazards, and the toxic probability for the combination of five metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb) was 21% for all sampling sites. The highest heavy metal concentrations were associated with the fine-grained sediments in the eastern area, especially in the northeastern muddy area. However, high concentrations of Pb and Cu were also found in some sites with coarse sediment in the western region. The lipid biomarkers showed that the n-alkanes were dominated by large odd-numbered carbon molecules, indicating that the organic matter in the sediments originated mainly from terrestrial plants. Principal component analysis (PCA) results, AH data, and the sediment distributions indicated that the organic matter and heavy metals in the SYS were mainly sourced from the Old Yellow River Delta, transported by ocean currents and deposited in the central SYS. In addition, a small proportion of the heavy metals originated from airborne dust. The spatial distribution pattern of the heavy metals in the surface sediments provides a basis for the protection of the marine ecological environments.