Rare earth elements in the suspended particulate of Daliao river system, China

摘要

Daliao River system (DRS) in the northeast China is one of the most seriously contaminated rivers in China, due to industrial, municipal, and agricultural sources. The increasing use of REEs as fertilizers in China agriculture may reach DRS, thereby causing a potential ecological risk. Thus, we initially investigated rare earth elements (REEs) in the suspended particulate of DRS. Results showed that concentrations of REEs in the suspended particulates of DRS ranged over about three orders of magnitude (2.4 to 474.3mg/kg), with an average concentration of 101.1mg/kg. The distributions of REEs in each sampling site were similar, with Eu giving negative anomalies. However, in the suspended particulate of a small effluent river, Eu was positive anomaly, indicating an anthropogenic source. The concentrations of REEs in the suspended particulate of DRS were lower than those in the sediments of Yellow River, Yangtze River, and Jinsha River. The distributions of REEs in the sea and river sedi-ment, loess, and soils of various parts of China were also similar.