Source tracing with cadmium isotope and risk assessment of heavy metals in sediment of an urban river, China

June 16, 2022

CRAES, Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquaculture and Enhancement of Anhui Province  uses EasySensor DGT to publish the article as below:

Highlights

1、Cd was greatest enriched in sediment of the urban river.•

2、Road dust, industrial soil and chicken manure were possible Cd sources.•

3、Cd isotopes were used to constrain Cd sources along the river.•

4、Pb and Zn would pose higher ecological risk based on SQGs and DGT results.

Abstract

The Nanfei River was one of dominant inflowing rivers of the fifth largest freshwater Chaohu Lake in China, which had been subjected to increasing nutrients and contaminants from population expansion, rapid industrialization and agricultural intensification in recent decades. In present study, surface sediment from the Nanfei River was collected to investigate the anthropogenic impact on distribution and bioavailability of heavy metals. Possible Cd sources along the river were constrained by using Cd isotope signatures and labile concentrations of heavy metals in sediment were determined through the DGT technique for risk assessment. Results showed that Cd in river sediment showed greatest enrichment (EF 0.8–9.4), indicating massive pollution from anthropogenic activities. Among the various possible Cd source materials, urban road dust, industrial soil and chicken manure, displayed higher Cd abundance and enrichment that might contribute to Cd accumulation in river sediment. Cadmium isotopic composition in river sediment was ranged from −0.21 ± 0.01‰ to 0.13 ± 0.03‰, whereas yielded relative variation from −0.31 ± 0.02‰ to 0.23 ± 0.01‰ in source materials. Accordingly, Cd sources along the river were constrained, i.e. traffic and industrial activities in the upper and middle reaches whereas agricultural activities in the lower reaches. Furthermore, the evaluation on ecological risk of heavy metals in sediment on basis of SQGs and DGT-labile concentrations demonstrated that Pb and Zn might pose higher risk on aquatic species. The present study confirmed that Cd isotopes were promising source tracer in environmental studies.

Writers: Fang T, Wang H, Liang YY, et., 2022. Source tracing with cadmium isotope and risk assessment of heavy metals in sediment of an urban river, China, Environmental Pollution,Volume 305, 119325, ISSN 0269-7491, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119325.

Link:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749122005395?via%3Dihub=