Publications
Following publications have been announced by our department Inorganic Environmental Chemistry. For further information please contact the marked authors of the publications:
Deng, F., Hellmann, S., Zimmermann, T., & Pröfrock, D. (2021): Using Sr-Nd-Pb isotope systems to trace sources of sediment and trace metals to the Weser River system (Germany) and assessment of input to the North Sea. Science of The Total Environment, Volume 791, 2021, 148127, doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148127
Abstract:
In order to trace the sources of sediment materials and trace metals in the Weser River system (Germany), and the riverine input to the North Sea, Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes, together with multi-elemental compositions, were measured for sediments collected over the entire Weser River Basin, from headwaters to the estuary. Mass fractions of metals, including Ag, Cd, and Pb, and of one metalloid, Sb, higher than their crustal abundance, were observed within the entire Weser Basin. Isotope-amount ratio n(87Sr)/n(86Sr) and εNd ranged from 0.71182 ± 0.00005 to 0.72880 ± 0.00009 and −11.3 ± 0.3 to −21.0 ± 0.3, respectively. n(206Pb)/n(204Pb), n(207Pb)/n(204Pb), and n(208Pb)/n(204Pb) ranged from 18.226 ± 0.008 to 18.703 ± 0.012, 15.613 ± 0.007 to 15.653 ± 0.012 and 38.14 ± 0.02 to 38.84 ± 0.02, respectively. Sr and Nd isotope compositions reflected primarily a mixture of natural materials derived from the Weser Basin. Pb isotope signatures indicated strong anthropogenic influences in the middle-lower Weser region. Pb isotopic compositions in the sediments from the Aller (tributary of the Weser) and its tributary suggested influence from historical Pb-Zn ore mining in the Harz Mountains that might contribute to the observed elevated mass fractions of Ag, Cd, Sb and Pb in that region. K-means cluster and principal component analysis of the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope data yielded results consistent with their isotope systematics, supporting statistical analysis as an unsupervised tool in isotope fingerprinting studies. Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic signatures in the sediments of the Weser were distinctively different from those of another major river discharging into the North Sea, the Elbe. This suggested that this Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope dataset can be used to distinguish riverine input of sediment materials and metals between the two rivers, thereby assessing their individual contribution to materials transported into the North Sea.
Klein, O., Zimmermann, T., & Pröfrock, D. (2021): Improved Determination of Technologically Critical Elements in Sediment digests by ICP-MS/MS using N2O as Reaction gas. J. Anal. At. Spectrom., doi:10.1039/D1JA00088H
Abstract:
The investigation of technologically critical elements (TCEs) as emerging pollutants is a constantly growing field of environmental research and societal concern. Nevertheless, existing data for most TCEs are still unsatisfactory for an accurate assessment of their potential (eco)toxicological effects on humans and the environment. The limited availability of data mainly results from the technically challenging analysis of selected TCEs. Low concentrations of TCEs in environmental matrices (μg kg−1 or lower) and the associated complex and time-consuming sample preparation pose the greatest challenges. This work aims at developing a new ICP-MS/MS-based multi-elemental approach targeting the analysis of all major TCEs (Sc, Ga, Ge, Nb, In, Te, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Yb, Lu, and Ta) in sediment, which represents one of the most important matrices for environmental research. N2O is applied as a reaction gas to overcome possible spectral interferences during ICP-MS/MS analysis. The use of N2O as a reaction gas for ICP-MS/MS analysis enabled higher oxide-product ion yields for many TCEs in comparison to the frequently used O2 cell gas. Hence, the selectivity and sensitivity of the method were improved. The presented multi-element method using N2O as a reaction gas achieved LODs between 0.00023 μg L−1 (Eu) and 0.13 μg L−1 (Te) for all analyzed TCEs. Likewise, for all analyzed elements, except for Te, recoveries between 80% and 112% were obtained for at least one of the analyzed reference materials (GBW 07313, GBW 07311, and BCR-2).
