Distribution of heavy metals in the geochemical phases of sediments from the Tietê River, Brazil

Abstract

The fractionation of heavy metals in riverbed sediments along the Tietê River basin, a highly polluted river in southeast region of Brazil, was investigated using a four-step sequential extraction procedure, in order to determine the concentration and distribution of Cu, Co, Cr, Cd, Zn, Ni and Pb, in the river bottom sediments, related to the potential mobility of geochemical phases. Around the metropolitan area of the City of São Paulo, which has 25 million people, the pollution is associated with municipal wastes and industrial effluents. Potentials of high mobility were observed for Cu and Zn along the entire river basin, associated mainly to the organic fraction, while at the Pirapora and Anhembi stations (upper and middle parts of the basin, respectively) the reactive forms of Ni and Pb were more associated to the Fe and Mn oxides. Near the mouth of the Tietê River, no significant contaminations caused by Cr and Ni in riverbed sediments was verified confirming the presence of these metals in the residual or lithogenous phase.

Toxic Elements Contents and Associated Potential Ecological Risk in the Bottom Sediments of Hrazdan River Under the Impact of Yerevan City (Armenia)

“…In France, in the region adjoining the Gironde, once operated a zinc deposit, which is the cause of such contents of this element (Larrose et al, 2010). Relatively to the rest three rivers, no pronounced zinc pollution sources are identified either (Larrose et al, 2010) (Skorbiłowicz et al, 2016)(Da Silva et al, 2019) (Mortatti et al, 2013).…”

“…The significant mean contents of chromium in the Hrazdan (181mg/kg) can be explained by untreated urban domestic runoffs which empty into the river on the sampling site. By this index, the Hrazdan is similar to the Tiete River in Brazil, which besides urban domestic waters receives chromium-containing agricultural wastewater as well, and the Fan River in Albania, one of the sections of which accommodates a copper deposit and copper smeltery (Mortatti et al, 2013)(X.Kumanova, 2012.…”

Contaminated Aquatic Sediments

“…Sany et al (2013) studied the distribution of heavy metal in the coastal sediments of Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.Their results showed that the concentrations of some metals, such as As, Cd and Pb were comparatively higher than the background values Mortatti et al (2013). studied the distribution of heavy metals (Cu, Co, Cr, Cd, Zn, Ni and Pb) in the geochemical phases of sediments from the Tietê River, Brazil.…”

Trace metals distribution in different geochemical phases of soils around automobile junk markets in southern Nigeria

“…Therefore the determination of total metal concentration alone is not adequate to evaluate the possible health risk of metals because it only gives limited information (Tessier et al, 1979;Kalis et al, 2007;Ogubanjo et al, 2015). The best way to predict these geochemical forms of the metals in the soil is to apply sequential extraction procedure which will reveal the fate, toxicity and the environmental impact of the metals in the soils (Mortatti et al, 2013). Many sequential extraction schemes have been reported in literature and studies have shown that all of them generally have some disadvantages (Davison et al, 1999, Ahmadipour, et al, 2014.…”