Abstract
One of the main results of the processes related to urbanization is the contamination of the adjacent water bodies. Inserted in this context, the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon is situated in the south zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. This ecosystem receives several inputs containing all sorts of pollutants, including heavy metals. The present work aimed to study the partitioning of heavy metals in the sediments of Rodrigo de Freitas and the influence of organic matter in this fractionation dynamic. The results of these analyses presented the contents of organic matter as an important metal-capturing agent. Fractionation of organic matter resulted in a predominance of humine. Heavy metal partitioning showed that the metals bound by the water-soluble phase have no significant concentrations. Special features such as, reducing sediment, high levels of organic matter and fine grain size have transformed this ecosystem in an effective deposit of pollutants, where heavy metals are not available in easily reactive fractions.
Highlights
Coastal lagoons in the Brazilian Rio de Janeiro metropolis are located in littoral zones that are situated between the sea and the mainland
Organic compounds that result from partial decomposition of organic matter under anoxic conditions form complexes
Solubility and production of dissolved organic carbon is affected by pH due to its influence on the density of the charges present on humic compounds, as well as its positive or negative influence on bacterial activity (Anderson and Nilsson 2001)
Summary
Coastal lagoons in the Brazilian Rio de Janeiro metropolis are located in littoral zones that are situated between the sea and the mainland. Recreational and tourist facilities in areas around the lagoons have increased pollution levels in these water bodies. Due to their dynamic nature and to those processes occurring in transition contain high concentrations of trace metals to aggregate and settle out in the bottom sediments of the lagoons (Eisma 1986, Hill 1998). Organic compounds that result from partial decomposition of organic matter under anoxic conditions form complexes These processes eventually result in the export of some metals to adjacent waters where they may have an impact on living organisms (Brown 1988, Wang et al 2004)
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