Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T13:05:05.900Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Metal dispersion in sediments and waters of the River Conwy draining the Llanrwst Mining Field, North Wales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

J. R. Brydie  and
D. A. Polya
J. R. Brydie
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences & Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
D. A. Polya*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences & Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
*
E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The dispersion and sediment-water partitioning of Pb and Zn have been studied in the Conwy River, North Wales. Analysis included major and trace element water chemistry and concentrations of sediment-hosted Pb and Zn. In situ solution pH, Eh, temperature and conductivity were also measured. Sediments were characterized via SEM, XRD, nitric acid leaching and sequential chemical extraction to quantify metal distribution and sediment phase associations. Dissolved and sediment-bound Pb and Zn within river and estuary waters and sediments have been used to calculate whole sediment- and phase-specific apparent partition coefficients.

Weathering of galena and sphalerite, associated with the Llanrwst Mining Field, provide point sources of elevated dissolved and sedimentary Pb and Zn in the upper catchment. Dissolved Pb is actively adsorbed onto sedimentary surface coatings of Fe-Mn (hydr)oxides and organics whilst Fe-Mn (hydr)oxides, organics and carbonates were the main hosts for Zn. Systematic changes in metal sorption are evident between the estuary and the upper catchment, with organic matter becoming progressively more important upstream. This change is ascribed to the sorptive properties of sedimentary organic material. Solution pH, [Cl] and aqueous metal speciation are the dominant solution controls on metal partitioning. Laboratory sorption experiments parallel Pb sorption behaviour in the natural system.

Keywords

leadzincWalesgalenasphaleriteLlanrwst Mining Field.
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 67 , Issue 2 , April 2003 , pp. 289 - 304
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, D.A., Darby, D.A. and Young, R.J. (1980) Selected analytical techniques for characterizing the metal chemistry and geology of fine-grained sediments and interstitial water. Pp. 3—28 in: Contaminants and Sediments, Volume 2 — Analysis, Chemistry and Biology (Baker, R.A., editor). Ann Arbor Science Publications, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.Google Scholar
Appelo, C.A.J. and Postma, D. (1993) Geochemistry, Groundwater and Pollution. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 536 pp.Google Scholar
Batley, G.E. and Gardner, D. (1978) A study of copper, lead and cadmium speciation in some estuarine and coastal marine wters. Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science, 7, 59—70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bendell-Young, L. (1999) Contrasting the sorption of Zn by oxyhydroxides of Mn and Fe, and organic matter along a mineral-poor to mineral-rich fen gradient. Applied Geochemistry, 14, 719—734.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brydie, J.R., Kirk, M.G., Rutherford, D., Polya, D.A. and Gize, A.P. (1997) Preliminary studies of metal dispersion in sediments and waters of the River Conwy draining the Llanrwst Mining Field, North Wales. Mineral Deposits Studies Group, Annual General Meeting, Abstracts volume, Glasgow University.Google Scholar
Bunzl, K., Schmidt, W. and Sansoni, B. (1976) Kinetics of ion exchange in soil organic matter: IV. Adsorption and desorption of Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+ and Ca2+ by peat. Journal of Soil Science, 27, 32—41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dzombak, D.A. and Morel, F.M.M. (1990) Surface Complexation Modelling. Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Elderfield, H., Thornton, L. and Webb, J. (1971) Heavy metals and oyster culture in Wales. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2, 44—47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elderfield, H., Hepworth, A., Edwards, P.N. and Holliday, L.M. (1979) Zinc in the Conwy River and Estuary. Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science, 9, 403—422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forstner, U. (1993) Metal speciation — general concepts and applications. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 51, 5—23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foster, P. and Hunt, D.T.E. (1975) Geochemistry of surface sediments in an acid estuary. Marine Geology, 18,13—21.Google Scholar
Hamilton-Taylor, J., Davison, W. and Jones, K.C. (1996) A laboratory study of the biogeochemical cycling of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu across the sediment- water interface of a productive lake. Aquatic Science, 58, 191—209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton-Taylor, J., Giusti, L., Davison, W., Tych, W. and Hewitt, C.N. (1997) Sorption of trace metals (Cu,Pb,Zn) by suspended lake particulates in artificial (0.005M NaNO3) and natural (Esthwaite Water) freshwaters. Colloids and Surfaces A — Physicochemical and Engineering aspects, 120, 205—219.Google Scholar
Hem, J.D. (1976) Geochemical controls on lead concentrations in stream water and sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 40, 599—609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howells, M.F. (1978) Capel Curig and Betws-Y-Coed: Description of 1:25000 Sheet SH 75: Classic Areas of British Geology. Institute of Geological Sciences (HMSO), London.Google Scholar
Howells, M.F., Leveridge, B.E., Evans, C.D.R. and Nutt, M.J.C. (1981) Dolgarrog: Description of 1:12000 Geological Sheet SH76: Classic Areas of British Geology. Institute of Geological Sciences (HMSO), London 89 pp.Google Scholar
Hudson-Edwards, K.A., Macklin, M.G., Curtis, C.D. and Vaughan, D.J. (1996) Processes of formation and distribution of Pb, Zn-, Cd- and Cu-bearing minerals in the Tyne Basin, NE England: implications for metal-contaminated river systems. Environmental Science and Technology, 30, 72—80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jannasch, H.W., Honeyman, B.D., Balistrieri, L.S. and Murray, J.W. (1988) Kinetics of trace element uptake by marine particles. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 52, 567—577.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lead, J.R., Davison, W., Hamilton-Taylor, J. and Buffle, J. (1997) Characterizing colloid material in natural waters. Aquatic Geochemistry, 3, 213—232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Millward, G.E. and Moore, R.M. (1982) The adsorption of Cu, Mn and Zn by iron oxyhydroxides in model estuarine solutions. Water Research, 16, 981—985.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mudge, S.M. and Norris, C.E. (1997) Lipid biomarkers in the Conwy Estuary (north Wales, UK): a comparison between fatty alcohols and sterols. Marine Chemistry , 57/1, 61—84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parkhurst, D.L. (1995) User’s Guide to PHREEQC — A Computer Program for Speciation, Reaction-Path, Advective-Transport, and Inverse Geochemical Calculations. Water Resources Investigations Report , 95—4227, U.S. Geological Survey.Google Scholar
Polya, D.A. (1997) Chemcal (Version 4.0). A Turbo Pascal program used to calculate concentrations and associated errors from calibrated analytical data. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Manchester, UK.Google Scholar
Sargent, M. and MacKay, G., editors (1995) Guidelines for Achieving Quality in Trace Analysis. Athenaem Press, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.Google Scholar
Schulin, R., Geiger, G. and Furrer, G. (1995) Heavy metal retention by soil organic matter under changing environmental conditions. Pp. 53—85 in: Biogeodynamics of Pollutants in Soils and Sediments; Risk Assessment of Delayed and Nonlinear Responses (Salomons, W. and Stigliani, W.M., editors). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shannon, R.D. (1976) Revised effective ionic radii in halides and chalcogenides. Acta Crystallographica , A32, 751—767.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stumm, W. (1986) Coordinative interactions between soil solids and water — an aquatic point of view. Geoderma , 38,19—30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stumm, W. and Morgan, J.J. (1996) Aquatic Chemistry; Chemical Equilibria and Rates in Natural Waters, 3rd edition. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1022 pp.Google Scholar
Tessier, A., Campell, P.G.C. and Bisson, M. (1979) Sequential extraction procedure for the speciation of particulate trace metals. Analytical Chemistry, 51, 844—850.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tessier, A., Fortin, D., Belzile, N., DeVitre, R.R. and Leppard, G.G. (1996) Metal sorption to diagenetic iron and manganese oxyhydroxides and associated organic matter: Narrowing the gap between field and laboratory measurements. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 60, 387—404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, A. and Millward, G.E. (1994) Partitioning of trace metals in a macrotidal estuary: Implications for contaminant transport models. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 39, 45—58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, D.R., Varney, M.S., Whitfield, M., Mantoura, R.F.C. and Riley, J.P. (1986) Electrochemical studies of copper and lead complexation by fulvic acid. I. Potentiometric measurements and a critical comparison of metal binding models. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 50, 289—297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, A., Millward, G.E., Bale, A.J. and Morris, A.W. (1993) Application of the concept to the study of trace metal removal and desorption during estuarine mixing. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 36, 1—13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Gestel, C.A.M. and Hensbergen, P.J. (1997) Interaction of Cd and Zn toxicity to bioavailability in soil. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 16, 1177—1186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolfenden, P.J. and Lewin, J. (1977) Distribution of metal pollutants in active stream sediments. Catena, 5, 67—78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar