Sediment contamination by heavy metals in a lock-regulated section of the River Neckar

Abstract

For a lock-regulated reach of the River Neckar at Lauffen, Germany, results from sediment core analysis are presented. It is observed that sediment layers with a high concentration of heavy metals, especially cadmium, are covered by younger, less polluted sediment layers. A principal component analysis separated the parameters measured into three groups: heavy metals from human activities (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn), metals from natural sources (Co, Fe, Mn), and inorganic carbon. Within the fine-grained sediment fraction containing particles smaller than 20 µm, a higher concentration of anthropogenic trace metals was found in fine-grained samples than in coarse-grained samples, whereas Co, Fe and Mn showed the opposite tendency. Obviously, this is due to two different sources of fine-grained material: sewage flocs and natural erosion particles. Acid-producing capacity (APC) and acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) are calculated for both pore water and particulate matter of the sediment. At a depth of 20 cm, APC and ANC are controlled by the sediment matrix. ANC, which is due to calcium carbonate, is 20 times higher than APC, which is predominantly due to reduced sulfur components. Therefore, oxidation of sediment of the River Neckar does not lead to acidification.