Journal article
Elemental sulfur in drain sediments associated with acid sulphate soils
Applied Geochemistry, Vol.21(7), pp.1240-1247
2006
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Abstract
<p>This paper reports the abundance of elemental S in drain sediments associated with acid sulfate soils. The sediments exhibited near-neutral pH (5.97–7.27), high concentrations of pore-water Fe<sup>2+</sup> (1.37–15.9 mM) and abundant oxalate-extractable Fe (up to 4300 μmol g−1). Maximum acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) concentrations in each sediment profile were high (118–1019 μmol g<sup>−1</sup>), with AVS often exceeding pyrite-S. Elemental S occurred at concentrations of 13–396 μmol g<sup>−1</sup>, with the higher concentrations exceeding previous concentrations reported for other sedimentary systems. Up to 62% of reduced inorganic S near the sediment/water interface was present as elemental S, due to reaction between AVS and oxidants such as O<sub>2</sub> and Fe(III). Significant correlation (r = 0.74; P < 0.05) between elemental S and oxalate-extractable Fe(III) is indicative of elemental S formation by in situ oxidation of AVS. The results indicate that AVS oxidation in near-surface sediments is dynamic in acidified coastal floodplain drains, causing elemental S to be a quantitatively important intermediate S fraction. Transformations of elemental S may therefore strongly influence water quality in ASS landscapes.</p>
Details
- Title
- Elemental sulfur in drain sediments associated with acid sulphate soils
- Creators
- Edward D Burton - Southern Cross UniversityRichard T Bush - Southern Cross UniversityLeigh A Sullivan - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Applied Geochemistry, Vol.21(7), pp.1240-1247
- Identifiers
- 1346; 991012821315902368
- Academic Unit
- School of Environment, Science and Engineering; Southern Cross GeoScience; Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
- Resource Type
- Journal article