Influence of environmental and anthropogenic factors at the bottom sediments in a Doce River tributary in Brazil

Abstract

In developing countries, it is uncommon to find watersheds that have been the object of detailed environmental studies. It makes the assessment of the magnitude of environmental impacts and pollution of these sites difficult. This research demonstrated ways to understand the dynamics of river bottom sediments contamination, even for watersheds with a lack of environmental data. Based on geochemical affinity, we conducted a comprehensive study on the concentration of metals and metalloids. Then, we discussed the probable origin of the concentration of these elements at the bottom sediment along the Matipó River. The Matipó River is an important tributary of the Doce River, which stood out in international headlines because of the mining tailing dam disaster in Mariana, Minas Gerais, in 2015. The bottom sediment samples were taken in 25 stations located along the basin in different seasonal periods. The results showed that copper ([Formula: see text] = 464.7 mg kg) and zinc ([Formula: see text] = 287.7 mg kg) probably have natural origin, despite of the high concentrations. Lead ([Formula: see text] = 28.0 mg kg), chromium ([Formula: see text] = 153.2 mg kg), and nickel ([Formula: see text] = 41.8 mg kg) also had high concentrations at some collecting stations, and this probably reflected the local natural conditions. The bedrock of the studying basin is dominantly composed of metabasalts and metatonalites interlayered with calcitic and dolomitic metalimestone. On the other hand, the concentration was worrisome in stations near human activities, possibly due to impacts caused by unsustainably agriculture and livestock.

An Assessment of Zinc Fluxes by Analyzing Monthly, Weekday, and Weekend Levels in a River

“…However, in this study, only the Zn concentrations on weekdays significantly increased. The elevated Zn concentrations could be originated from agricultural runoff, [ 43–45 ] road runoff, [ 46 ] traffic emissions, and atmospheric deposition, [ 1,47,48 ] as well as natural occurrences, [ 49 ] industrial, [ 20,44,50 ] and mining activities. [ 22,23,51 ] The increased Zn may come from point sources because the survey was undertaken in clear weather (no runoff discharges).…”

Latent Benefits and Toxicity Risks Transmission Chain of High Dietary Copper along the Livestock–Environment–Plant–Human Health Axis and Microbial Homeostasis: A Review

“…Liu et al investigated 10 large-scale pig farms that digested piggery wastewater in China and found that Cu is detectable in all farms, and its concentrations reached the discharge limit of 0.5 mg/L. Dos et al also reported that unsustainable agriculture and livestock result in high concentrations of Cu (464.7 mg/kg) in a Doce River tributary in Brazil.…”

Impacto ambiental nos sedimentos do tributário do Rio Doce após o rompimento da barragem de Fundão

“…Além da orientação dos valores referencias geoquímicos, outra maneira de verificar a origem dos metais e dos semimetais é usar a classificação de Goldschmidt (1923). Essa classificação agrupa elementos por afinidades geoquímicas e permite verificar se a gênese desses elementos reflete a influência da litologia regional ou a interferência antropogênica (Dos Reis et al, 2017). Essa classificação segue o princípio de que alguns dos minerais, em processo de desagregação, liberam elementos químicos em quantidades similares.…”