Mobility of radium and trace metals in sediments of the Winterbeek: Application of sequential extraction and DGT techniques

Abstract

For several decades, phosphate ores containing 226Ra as well as several trace metals have been processed in Belgium to produce calcium phosphate for use in cattle food. The waste water is discharged in two small rivers, the Laak and the Winterbeek. In this study, the levels of 226Ra and trace metals in surface water and sediments of the Winterbeek were investigated and the mobility of these compounds was assessed using DGT (Diffusive Gradient in Thin Films) and sequential extraction techniques. The concentrations of 226Ra and trace metals in water and sediment indicate a decreasing trend in inputs to the Winterbeek. The mobility of 226Ra, assessed by DGT, is related to the reductive mobilization of Fe. The sequential extraction technique shows that at some stations an important fraction of 226Ra is found to labile sediment phases. Diffusive 226Ra sediment fluxes, are however, relatively small and have only a minor contribution to the water column concentration of 226Ra.