Department of Biological Sciences, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave, Windsor, Ontario, Canada N9B 3P4.
Sci Total Environ. 2012 Jan 1;414:177-86. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.10.011. Epub 2011 Nov 25.
The fate of trace metals in pore water collected from wetland sediments and organisms exposed to petroleum coke were evaluated within in situ aquatic microcosms. Oil sands operators of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada produced 60 million tonnes of petroleum coke by 2008, containing elevated concentrations of sulphur and several trace metals commonly seen in oil sands materials. This material may be included in the construction of reclaimed wetlands. Microcosms were filled with a surface layer of petroleum coke over mine-waste sediments and embedded in a constructed wetland for three years to determine how these materials would affect the metal concentrations in the sediment pore water, colonizing wetland plants and benthic invertebrates. Petroleum coke treatments produced significantly elevated levels of Ni. We also found unexpectedly higher concentrations of metals in "consolidated tailings" waste materials, potentially due to the use of oil sands-produced gypsum, and higher background concentration of elements in the sediment used in the controls. A trend of higher concentrations of V, Ni, La, and Y was present in the tissues of the colonizing macrophytic alga Chara spp. Aeshnid dragonflies may also be accumulating V. These results indicate that the trace metals present in some oil sands waste materials could be taken up by aquatic macro-algae and some wetland invertebrates if these materials are included in reclaimed wetlands.
在原位水微宇宙中评估了从湿地沉积物和暴露于石油焦的生物体中采集的孔隙水中痕量金属的命运。截至 2008 年，加拿大阿尔伯塔省麦克默里堡的油砂作业者生产了 6000 万吨石油焦，其中含有高浓度的硫和几种常见于油砂材料中的痕量金属。这种材料可能包含在再造湿地的建设中。微宇宙用石油焦覆盖矿山废料沉积物，并嵌入人工湿地中三年，以确定这些材料如何影响沉积物孔隙水中的金属浓度、定殖湿地植物和底栖无脊椎动物。石油焦处理产生了明显更高水平的镍。我们还发现“固结尾矿”废物中金属浓度出乎意料地更高，可能是由于使用了油砂生产的石膏，以及对照中沉积物中元素的背景浓度较高。在定殖大型藻类 Chara spp. 的组织中存在 V、Ni、La 和 Y 浓度升高的趋势。食蚊鱼可能也在积累 V。这些结果表明，如果这些材料包含在再造湿地中，一些油砂废物中的痕量金属可能会被水生大型藻类和一些湿地无脊椎动物吸收。
