Qiyao Sun

Anthropogenic impacts on reduced inorganic sulfur and heavy metals in coastal surface sediments, north Yellow Sea

This study investigated the organic carbon, reduced inorganic sulfur, and heavy metal distribution in superficial sediments at an estuary, a wastewater discharge area, and a mariculture area, as compared with an unpolluted distal site, in the north Yellow Sea, China. Sediment grain size, acid volatile sulfur (AVS), chromium (II)-reducible sulfur, elemental sulfur, total sulfur, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen and trace metal content were determined for each site. These results indicate that pollution leads to increased TOC at all affected sites, which in turn leads to elevated AVS. The resultant change in diagenetic environment leads to changes in the mineralogical fate of Mn. Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd: all are present at elevated concentrations, and with more metal in the non-residual fractions. Cd shows by far the most elevated concentrations and most significant increase in non-residual fractions and consequently poses the most significant pollution risk.

Dynamic characteristics of sulfur, iron and phosphorus in coastal polluted sediments, north China

The cycling of sulfur (S), iron (Fe) and phosphorus (P) in sediments and pore water can impact the water quality of overlying water. In a heavily polluted river estuary (Yantai, China), vertical profiles of fluxes of dissolved sulfide, Fe2+ and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in sediment pore water were investigated by the Diffusive Gradients in Thin films technique (DGT). Vertical fluxes of S, Fe, P in intertidal sediment showed the availability of DRP increased while the sulfide decreased with depth in surface sediment, indicating that sulfide accumulation could enhance P release in anoxic sediment. In sites with contrasting salinity, the relative dominance of iron and sulfate reduction was different, with iron reduction dominant over sulfate reduction in the upper sediment at an intertidal site but the reverse true in a freshwater site, with the other process dominating at depth in each case. Phosphate release was largely controlled by iron reduction.

Influence of salinity on COD measurements in coastal water management

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) is an important parameter in water quality assessment. COD values by different determination methods were investigated in coastal rivers. The results show that there is no clear relationship between CODCr and CODMn in coastal areas. CODCr does not reflect the degree of pollution of coastal waters. As salinity increased, CODCr and acidic CODMn increased significantly, but there was little/no change observed for alkaline CODMn. Coastal zone water quality standards should be proposed to solve connection problems between marine quality standard and surface water quality standard.

Geochemistry of reduced inorganic sulfur, reactive iron, and organic carbon in fluvial and marine surface sediment in the Laizhou Bay region, China

Understanding the geochemical cycling of sulfur in sediments is important because it can have implications for both modern environments (e.g., deterioration of water quality) and interpretation of the ancient past (e.g., sediment C/S ratios can be used as indicators of palaeodepositional environment). This study investigates the geochemical characteristics of sulfur, iron, and organic carbon in fluvial and coastal surface sediments of the Laizhou Bay region, China. A total of 63 sediment samples were taken across the whole Laizhou Bay marine region and the 14 major tidal rivers draining into it. Acid volatile sulfur, chromium (II)-reducible sulfur and elemental sulfur, total organic carbon, and total nitrogen were present in higher concentrations in the fluvial sediment than in the marine sediment of Laizhou Bay. The composition of reduced inorganic sulfur in surface sediments was dominated by acid volatile sulfur and chromium (II)-reducible sulfur. In fluvial sediments, sulfate reduction and formation of reduced inorganic sulfur were controlled by TOC and reactive iron synchronously. High C/S ratios in the marine sediments indicate that the diagenetic processes in Laizhou Bay have been affected by rapid deposition of sediment from the Yellow River in recent decades.

Reduced inorganic sulfur in surface sediment and its impact on benthic environments in offshore areas of NE China

Geochemical cycling and biological toxicity of sulfur in marine sediments is closely related to the activity of organisms. This study investigated the distribution and potential impact on benthic environments of acid volatile sulfur (AVS), chromium(II)-reducible sulfur (CRS), elemental sulfur (ES), total S, C, N and Fe in superficial sediments across the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea. The composition of reduced inorganic sulfur in the three study areas was dominated by CRS (averaging 72% of total reduced inorganic sulfur). The low AVS content (average of 1.12 μmol g(-1)) of the sediments and the low values of AVS/CRS (average 0.34 μmol g(-1)), degree of pyritization and degree of sulphidization indicate that there is sufficient available iron in the sediment to restrict the threat of sulphide toxicity to benthic organisms in most of the study areas. However, high organic matter loads in parts of the study areas have resulted in enhanced accumulation of AVS, resulting in a higher toxicity risk.

Use of bauxite residue (red mud) as a low cost sorbent for sulfide removal in polluted water remediation

Sulfide is an important pollutant in aqueous systems. Sulfide removal from polluted waters is required prior to discharge. Red mud (RM) is a solid waste of bauxite processing that is rich in reactive iron oxides and consequently has the potential to be used to remove sulfide from aqueous systems. A series of experiments was undertaken using raw and sintered RM to remove sulfide from waters. RM was highly efficient at sulfide removal (average 75% sulfide removal at initial concentration of ∼5 mg L(-1), with 500 mg L(-1) RM addition) due to both physical adsorption (high specific area) and chemical reaction (with amorphous Fe). Sintered RM, which has a lower surface area and lower mineral reactivity, was much less efficient at removing sulfide (∼20% removal under equivalent experimental conditions). Furthermore, concomitant metal release from raw RM was lower than for sintered RM during the sulfide removal process. The results showed that raw RM is a potentially suitable material for sulfide removal from polluted waters and consequently could be used as a low cost alternative treatment in certain engineering applications.