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Geochemical fractionation of trace elements in sediments of Hugli River (Ganges) and Sundarban wetland (West Bengal, India)

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Abstract

A sequential extraction procedure was carried out to determinate the concentrations of 11 elements (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in different geochemical phases of sediments collected along the Hugli (Ganges) River Estuary and in the Sundarban mangrove wetland, eastern coastal part of India. The chemical speciation of elements was determined using the three-step sequential extraction procedure described by the European Community Bureau of Reference. Total metal concentration was determined using a microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure. Metal concentrations were near the background level except for As for which a moderate pollution can be hypothesized. The mobility order of the metals was: Cd > Mn > Cu > Zn > As > Co > Pb > Ni > Fe > Cr > Al. The highest percentage of Cd (>60%) was found in the most labile phase. Residual fraction was prevailing for Fe, Cr and Al, while Pb was mainly associated with the reducible fraction. Data were compared with Sediment Quality Guidelines to estimate the relationship between element concentrations and adverse biological effects on benthic community, finding the possibility of some toxic effects due to the presence of As in the entire studied area and Cd, only in Calcutta.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Genova, via Dodecaneso 31, 16146, Genoa, Italy

    Serena Massolo & Antonello Bignasca

  2. Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Calcutta, 700019, West Bengal, India

    Santosh Kumar Sarkar, Mousumi Chatterjee, Bhaskar Deb Bhattacharya & Aftab Alam

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  1. Serena Massolo
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  2. Antonello Bignasca
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  4. Mousumi Chatterjee
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Correspondence to Serena Massolo.

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Massolo, S., Bignasca, A., Sarkar, S.K. et al. Geochemical fractionation of trace elements in sediments of Hugli River (Ganges) and Sundarban wetland (West Bengal, India). Environ Monit Assess 184, 7561–7577 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2519-y

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