Geochemical distribution and fractionation of heavy metals in sediments of a freshwater reservoir of India

Abstract

Sediments of a polluted reservoir were evaluated for total contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn along with their different geochemical forms (exchangeable, carbonate, Fe-Mn, organic matter and residual). Mineralogy of the sediments and physico-chemical parameters i.e. pH, OC and percentage of sand, silt and clay were also evaluated to see the dependency of heavy metals concentration on these parameters. The total concentration of heavy metals in the sediments varied according to sites and seasons. Except for station H1 which had moderately higher concentration of Cu (45.5 mg kg -1), concentrations of all other metals at all the sites under study were below the standard shale value. Maximum proportions of all metals were associated with the carbonate and residual fractions. The Risk Assessment Code showed a low risk for Cr, Ni and Zn, and a medium risk for Cu at station H3 and H4. On the basis of freshwater sediment quality guidelines, there is a strong possibility of Cr and Cu toxicity for aquatic biota of the reservoir. The data were further processed using Pearson's correlation and factor analysis to obtain more accurate information about the behaviour of these metals. A positive relationship among the metals confirmed the anthropogenic sources of pollution in the reservoir. Significant positive relationships of heavy metals with the texture of the sediment were also obtained.