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Sediment geochemistry and arsenic mobilization in shallow aquifers of the Datong basin, northern China

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Abstract

Understanding the mechanism of arsenic (As) mobilization from sediments to groundwater is important for water quality management in areas of endemic arsenic poisoning, such as the Datong basin in northern China. The bulk geochemistry analysis of sediment samples from three 50-m boreholes drilled specifically for this study at As-contaminated aquifers, the groundwaters of which have an As concentration up to 1060 μg/l, revealed that the average bulk concentrations of major and trace elements of the samples are similar to those of the average upper continental crust. The average As content of the sediment samples (18.7 mg/kg) is higher than that of modern unconsolidated sediments (5–10 mg/kg). Moreover, the abundance of elements varied with grain size, with higher concentrations in finer fractions of the sediments, such as silt and clay. The concentration of NH2OH–HCl-extracted iron (Fe) strongly correlated with that of extracted As, suggesting that Fe oxyhydroxides may be the major sink of As in the aquifer. The results of microcosm experiments showed that As mobilization from sediments to groundwater is probably mainly related to changes in the redox conditions, with moderately reducing conditions being favorable for As release from sediments into groundwater.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous reviewers for their great help in improving the quality of the manuscript. This research was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant for Outstanding Youth No. 40425001) and the 111 project of Ministry of Education of PR China.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People’s Republic of China

    Xianjun Xie, Yanxin Wang, Mengyu Duan & Huaiqing Liu

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  1. Xianjun Xie
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  2. Yanxin Wang
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Correspondence to Yanxin Wang.

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Xie, X., Wang, Y., Duan, M. et al. Sediment geochemistry and arsenic mobilization in shallow aquifers of the Datong basin, northern China. Environ Geochem Health 31, 493–502 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-008-9204-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-008-9204-7

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