Copper marine sediments

Copper concentrations in sediment interstitial pore waters correlate positively with concentrations of dissolved copper in the overlying water column and are now used to predict the toxicity of test sediments to freshwater amphipods (Ankley et al. 1993). Sediment-bound copper is available to deposit-feeding clams, especially from relatively uncontaminated anoxic sediments of low pH (Bryan and Langston 1992). The bioavailability of copper from marine sediments, as judged by increased copper in sediment interstitial waters, is altered by increased acid volatile sulfide (AYS)... 

Casas, A.M. and E.A. Crecelius. 1994. Relationship between acid volatile sulfide and toxicity of zinc, lead and copper in marine sediments. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 13 529-536. 

In a method described by Bates and Carpenter [8] for the characterization of organosulphur compounds in the lipophilic extracts of marine sediments these workers showed that the main interference is elemental sulphur (S8). Techniques for its elimination are discussed. Saponification of the initial extract is shown to create organosulphur compounds. Activated copper removes S8 from an extract and appears neither to create nor to alter organosulphur compounds. However, mercaptans and most disulphides are removed by the copper column. The extraction efficiency of several other classes of sulphur compounds is 80-90%. Extracts are analyzed with a glass capillary gas chromatograph equipped with a flame photometric detector. Detection limit is lg S and precision 10%. 

Skrabal, S.A., Donat, J.R., and Burdige, D.J. (2000) Pore water distributions of dissolved copper and copper-complexing ligands in estuarine and coastal marine sediments. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 64, 1843-1857. 

Widerlund, A. (1996) Early diagenetic remobilization of copper in near-shore marine sediments A quantitative pore-water model. Mar. Chem. 54, 41-53. 

Neutron activation was used by Smales et al. 86) to determine the nickel, cobalt, and copper contents of rocks, marine sediments, and meteorites. In a more recent paper these workers discuss the application of thiis method to cosmic and other magnetic spherules. Radioactivation was particularly suitable in this case as the available weight of samples lay within the range of 10-250 fig 88). From the nickel/copper, nickel/cobalt,... 

Smales, A. A., Mapper, D., and Wood, A. J., The determination by radioactivation, of small quantities of nickel, cobalt and copper in rocks, marine sediments and meteorites. Analyst 82, 75-88 (1957). 

FMAE was compared with pressurized-liquid, Soxhlet, and ultrasonic extraction for the analysis of sewage sludges. The optimum conditions for FMAE were determined to be 30 W, for 10 min in 30 ml of acetone HEX (1 1, v/v). Recoveries for certified reference marine sediment, CRM 1941a, were 75, 61, and 56% for FLA, B[b]F, and B[a]P, respectively. Activated copper bars were added to samples to remove sulfur. Mean recovery by FMAE was 70% compared to traditional Soxhlet extraction. FMAE recoveries exceeded those for ultrasonic extraction but better results were obtained by pressurized-liquid extraction (PEE) with the best results obtained by Soxhlet extraction. All extracts required column cleanup, concentration, and solvent exchange for RP-HPLC-FLD analysis. 

Rosman KJR, Kempt NK. 1991. Determination of copper, zinc, cadmium and lead in marine sediments SD-M-2/TM and BCSS-1 and dogfish muscle DORM-1 by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Geostandards Newsletter 15(1) 117-119. 

Naturally, zinc is present in soils at concentrations ranging from 10 to 300 mg/kg and also present in marine sediments at concentrations of the range 5 to 4000 mg/kg. Studies have proved that toxic heavy metals like zinc, lead, aluminum, copper, and so forth are potential water contaminants that adversely affect plants and marine organisms owing to their toxicity. And during a study, it was confirmed that zinc can have an approximate acute toxicity to freshwater fish in concentrations as low as between 0.15 and 0.60 mg/L (ppm) only (Martin 2005). 

Kot et al. (2009) traced the halo of Hg s dissipation in copper mines under arid conditions, at El Boleo mining district near Santa Rosalia in east-central Baja Califomia, Mexico (27°24 -27 40 N and 112 22 -112 24 W). In this region, copper mining and smelting operations were abundant during the period 1885-1985. They found that marine sediments near Santa Rosalia are affected by material... 

From enclosure experiments in Narragansett Bay, Hunt and Smith (1983) estimated that by such mechanisms the anthropogenic proportion of cadmium in marine sediments is released to the water within approximately 3 years. For remobilization of copper and lead, approximately 40 and 400 years, respectively, is needed, according to these extrapolations. 

An example of veins with complex mineralogy is the mined-out uranium deposit at Shinkolobwe, Zaire, at the northwest end of the African Copperbelt. It occurs in a faulted transported fold in metamorphosed dolomitic shales of the middle Proterozoic Mine Series of the Roan Group.Uraninite and uranophane mineralization (about 620m.y. ago) was followed by several later mineralizations in which pyrite, molybdenite, monazite, selenium, Co-Ni sulphides and selenides and copper minerals were formed. It is believed that this orebody was formed by redistribution of metals originally deposited in marine sedimentary rocks." The uranium, originally weathered from granites and deposited in the marine sediments, was in low... 

Copper sulfides have limited importance as pigments. However, they are common as corrosion products, especially on objects which have been buried in marine sediments and on bronze objects exposed to pollution. Niello, a decorative black compound used in metalwork, is composed of mixed sulfides. Scott has identified the copper sulfides anUite, chalcocite, djurleite (Cuj S), digenite (Cu, 7gS), the copper silver sulfide stromeyerite, Ago sCuj 07S, and the silver sulfide acanthite, Ag2S, in examples of niello. 

The widespread use of many metals such as silver, cadmium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead, and zinc has resulted in their accumulation in the environment. Sediments are often the repositories of toxic metals (e.g.. Table 15-2). For example, copper is used as an anti-biofouling agent in marine paints and many harbor sediments contain markedly elevated levels of copper. 

Bloom NS, Crecelius EA, 1987. Distribution of silver, mercury, lead, copper, and cadmium in Central Puget Sound sediments. Marine Chemistry 21 377-390. 

Copper in livers and muscles of Weddell seals was positively correlated with manganese (Szefer et al. 1994). In general, manganese and copper are positively correlated in tissues of marine vertebrates (Eisler 1984). Uptake of copper from copper-contaminated freshwater sediments by annelid worms is related to the amount of reducible manganese oxide in the sediments (Diks and Allen 1983). 

Roper, D.S. and C.W. Hickey. 1994. Behavioural responses of the marine bivalve Macoma Uliana exposed to copper- and chlordane-dosed sediments. Mar. Biol. 118 673-680. 

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