Development of an In Situ Ion-Exchange Technique for the Determination of Free Cd, Co, Ni, and Zn Concentrations in Freshwaters

作者：Cremazy A; Leclair S; Mueller K K; Vigneault B; Campbell P G C; Fortin C^*

来源：Aquatic Geochemistry, 2015, 21(2-4): 259-279.

DOI：10.1007/s10498-015-9254-2

• Metal speciation
• Natural waters
• Ion-exchange technique
• In situ measurements

It is now well established that the bioavailability of metals toward aquatic organisms varies as a function of the free metal concentration. The ion-exchange technique (IET), which consists of equilibrating a calibrated cation-exchange resin with the water sample, is one of the few existing speciation methods that provide sufficient sensitivity and specificity to measure free metals in natural waters. In the present study, we developed an in situ IET (field-IET) in which the resin was directly equilibrated on site using dialysis cassettes. The field-IET was tested in six Canadian Shield lakes and in the Athabasca River (AB, Canada) for Cd2+, Co2+ (only in the Athabasca River), Ni2+, and Zn2+. Measurements were compared with those obtained on samples collected from the same sites with in situ diffusion samplers and analyzed in the laboratory (lab-IET). IET results were also compared with predictions from the Windermere Humic Aqueous Model [WHAM VII; the Co and Ni carbonato complex formation constants were updated according to the US National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST compilation)]. Good agreement was obtained between the field-IET and the lab-IET for Co2+ and Ni2+ concentrations, but field-IET Cd2+ and Zn2+ concentrations were systematically higher than the lab-IET results (factors of similar to 1.5x and similar to 2.4x, respectively). Uncertainties in the field-IET resin calibration and a significant Zn contamination could explain these results. WHAM VII predicted the free metal concentrations reasonably well, except for Ni2+ concentrations in the lakes, probably due to inappropriate formation constants for complexation of Ni with dissolved organic matter. This study showed that the field-IET, with its relative simplicity and its low detection limits, could be a useful method for the determination of free metal concentrations in acidic to neutral freshwaters.

• 出版日期2015-7