Anthropogenic gadolinium anomalies and distribution of rare earth elements in Atibaia river and Anhumas creek waters (São Paulo, Brazil)

Author(s)

Francisco Ferreira de Campos

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Geociências
• Defense date: 2014-04-23

Examining board members

Jacinta Enzweiler; Wanilson Luiz Silva; Emmanoel Vieira da Silva Filho

• Advisor: Jacinta Enzweiler

Abstract

The composition of natural water includes majors ions and many trace constituents and results from the interaction of water with the lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The rare earth elements (REE) are part of the trace elements. In modern society, REE have a wide spectrum of uses, as gadolinium (Gd) in contrast agents used in magnetic resonance imaging, and many REE in electronic products. Due to their use, the REE are being released to the environment before their natural distribution and toxicity are known. The objective of this work was to characterize the natural distribution and anthropogenic anomalies of dissolved REE in the surface waters of Atibaia River, Anhumas Creek and some tributaries, located in the state of São Paulo (Brazil). These water courses flow through areas of high population density and the region has important medical and industrial facilities, including petrochemical units. The work was done in two steps: the laboratorial tests of described REE pre-concentration procedures, and the field and analytical work, where the surface waters of the study area were sampled and analyzed and the REE concentrations determined (in the dissolved fraction and particulate matter). Three REE pre-concentration methods were tested under variable conditions: co-precipitation with Fe(OH)3, solid phase extraction with Ln-Spec resin, and solid phase extraction with phosphate ester adsorbed on C18 cartridge. Based on the obtained results the solid phase extraction with phosphate ester was used to determine the REE in the water samples. Besides Atibaia River, Anhumas Creek, and some tributaries, the sampling comprised the effluents of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and one sample of Jaguari River, in a total of 28 samples. The water samples analysis was accomplished by ion chromatography (major constituents), acidimetric titration (alkalinity), and ICP-MS (REE and other trace elements). The particulate matter retained in the membranes during filtration of water samples was digested and analyzed by ICP-MS. The results obtained for the REE were normalized to PAAS (Post-Archean Australian Shale) and the presence of anthropogenic Gd anomalies in the patterns of the waters was observed in the plots and by extrapolation of background Gd (Gd*) by neighboring elements, with Gd/Gd* ratios reaching 87. The anthropogenic Gd only occurs in the dissolved phase, and it was shown that samples with anomalies can also be identified by correlation plots of Gd and the other REE, without the need of normalization. The source of anthropogenic Gd was attributed to the discharge of effluents in the rivers, mainly from the WWTP, which contains Gd chelates used in medical exams. It was observed that REE distribution in the filtered samples are significantly associated with particles of colloidal size that results in a light REE enrichment. The normalization of the REE results obtained in the filtered water by the REE values obtained for the particulate matter of each sample is proposed as a way to overcome the influence of the colloidal particles in the distribution of the REE in the truly dissolved fraction (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/02486-5 - Anthropogenic anomalies of rare earth elements (REE) in Atibaia river and some of its tributaries in the region of Paulínia (SP)
• Grantee: Francisco Ferreira de Campos
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master