Analysis and assessment of heavy metal contamination in surface water and sediments: a case study from Luan River, Northern China

Abstract

Concentrations of the heavy metals Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cr were examined in surface water and sediment from the Luan River inChina,. With a decline in Cu and Ni concentration found in surface water at downstream stations. This finding suggests that water currents are a major explanatory factor in heavy metal contamination. The abundance of Cr, Pb, and Cd observed in the middle reaches of the river indicates heavy metal contamination in local areas, although there was an obvious decrease in concentrations in the water downstream of the Daheiting Reservoir. The significant rising trend in Cu, Pb, and Ni seen the sediment farther away from the river also suggests that anthropogenic activities contribute to heavy metal pollution Sediments were therefore used as environmental indicators, with sediment assessment was conducted using the geo-accumulation index (I_geo) and the potential ecological risk index (RI). The I_geo values revealed that Cd (3.13) and Cr (2.39) had accumulated significantly in the Luan River. The RI values for most (89%) of the sampling stations were higher than 300, suggesting that sediment from the Luan River poses a severe ecological risk, with the potential ecological risks downstream higher than that in the upper and middle streams. Good correlations among Pb/Ni, Pb/Cd, Cu/Pb, and Cu/Cd in the water and Cr/Ni in the sediment were observed. Cluster analysis suggested that Cd may have various origins, being derived from anthropogenic sources.

Keywords

heavy metal / water / sediment / geo-accumulation index / Luan River

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Acknowledgements

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40925003), the National Major Scientific and Technological Specific Projects of China (2012ZX07501002002).

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg