Abstract
Chemical, microbiological and stable isotope analyses of sediments from an acidic mining lake were used to evaluate whether biogeochemical processes, such as iron and sulfate reduction, are extant, because such processes can potentially generate alkalinity. Sediment cores were sliced in cm intervals to achieve a high resolution for spatial distribution of organic and inorganic components. Iron, sulfur, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus as well as the most probable number (MPN) of iron reducing bacteria, the amount of lipid phosphate and the stable isotope compositions of various sedimentary sulfur compounds were measured. Accumulation of degradable organic material, reduced mass fractions of iron, enhanced concentrations of lipid phosphate, high concentrations of DOC and ferrous iron in the pore water and a drastic change of sulfur isotope ratios in the upper 3 cm of the sediment all indicated a highly reactive zone of biogeochemical transformations. The data provide clear evidence for iron and sulfate reducing processes in the sediments that result in an increase of pH with depth.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alpers, C.N. and Blowes, D.W.: 1994, Environmental geochemistry of sulfide oxidation, ACS Symp. Series 550 (Washington DC), 681 pp.
Bell, P.E. and Mills, A.L.: 1987, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 53, 2610-2616.
Becker, A.: 1997, Elementverteilung und Bindungsformanalyse ausgewähter Elemente im Sedimenten von Berghaurestseen im Braunkohlenrevier der Niederlaausutz, Brandenburg. Dipl.-Thesis, Insl. f. Geowiss., TU Braunschweig, 122 S.
Belzile, N. and Morris, J.R.: 1995, Lake sediments: sources or sinks of industrially mobilized elements. In: Gunn, J.M. (ed) Restoration and recovery of an industrial region. Springer, pp 183-193.
Büttner, O., Becker, A., Kellner, S., Kuehn, B., Wendt-Potthoff, K., Zachmann, D.W. and Friese, K.: this vol. Water, Air and Soil Pollut.
Chambers, L.A. and Trudinger, P.A.: 1979, Geomicrobiol J. 1, 219-293.
Canfield, D.E., Raiswell, R., Westrich, J.T., Reaves, C.M. & Berner, R.A. 1986, Chemice Geology 54, 149-155.
Canfield, D.E. and Thamdrup, B.: 1994, Science. 266, 1973-1975.
Dobbs, F.C. and Findlay, R.H.: 1993, Analysis of microbial lipids to determine biomass and detect the response of sedimentary microorganisms to disturbance. In: Kemp, P.F Sherr, B.F., Sherr, E.B. and Cole, J.C. (eds) Handbook of methods in aquatic microbial ecology. Lewis Publishers, pp 347-358.
Fortin, D. and Beveridge, T.J.: 1997, Geomicrobiology Journal 14, 1-21.
Fortin, D., Davis, B. and Beveridge, T.J.: 1996, FEMS Microb. Ecol. 21, 11-24.
Friese, K., Hupfer, M. and Schultze, M.: 1998, Chemical characteristics of water and sediment in acid mining lakes of the Lusatian lignite district. In: Geller, W., Klapper, H. and Salomons, W. (Eds) Acid Mining Lakes-Acid Mine Drainage, Limnology and Reclamation, Environ. Sci. Series. Springer, 25-45.
Fry, B., Cox, J., Gest, H. and Hayes, J.M.: 1986, J. Bacteriol. 165, 328-330.
Fry, B., Ruf, W., Gest, H. and Hayes, J.M.: 1988, Chem. Geol. 73, 205-210.
Furrer, G. and Wehrli, B.: 1996, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 60, 2333-2346.
Gunkel, G., Mast, P.G. and Nolte, C.: 1994, Limnologica 25, 321-331.
Hakanson, L. and Jansson, M.: 1983, Principles of Lake Sedimentology, Springer, 316 pp.
Hamilton-Taylor, J., Davison, W, and Morfett, K.: 1996, Limnol. Oceanogr. 41, 408-418.
Hennies, C,: 1991, Charakterisierung von Redoxzuständen in Sedimenten. Dipl.-Thesis, University Würburg.
Herlihy, A.T., Mills, A.L., Hornberger, G.M. and Bruckner, A.E.: 1987, Wat. Resource. Res. 23, 287-292.
Herzsprung, P., Packroff, G., Schimmele, M., Wendt-Putthoff, K., Winkler, M. and Friese, K.: 1998, Acta hydrochim. Hydrobiol. 26/5, 1-10.
Hupfer, M., Fischer, P. and Friese, K.: this vol., Water, Air, and Soil Pollut.
Jones, R.G.: 1983, J. Appl. Bacteriol. 54, 305-310.
Kaplan, I.R., and Rafter, T.A.: 1958, Science. 127, 517-518.
Kaplan, I.R, and Rittenberg, S.C.: 1962, Nature. 194, 1098-1099.
Klapper, H. and Schultze, M.: 1995, Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol. 80, 639-653.
Klapper, H., Geller, W. and Schultze, M.; 1996, Lakes & Reservoirs: Research and Management. 2, 7-16.
Klee, A.J.: 1993, Journal of Microbiogical Methods. 18, 91-98.
Lovley, D.R. and Phillips, E.J.P.: 1987, Appl Environ Microbiol. 53, 1536-1540.
Miller, G.C., Lyons, W.B. and Davis, A.: 1996, Env. Sci. Technology. 30, 118A-123A.
Mischke, U. Kapfer, M. and Krumbeck, H.: 1997, Deutsche Gesellschaft f. Limnologie. Tagungsbericht 1996 (Schwedt), 508-512.
Nixdorf, B., Mischke, U. & Leßmann, D.: 1998a, Hydrobiologia, in press.
Nixdorf, B., Wollmann, K, and Deneke, R.: 1998b, Ecological potentials for planktonic developments and food web interactions in extremly acidic mining lakes in Lusatia. in: Geller, W., Klapper, H. and Salomons, W. (Eds) Acid Mining Lakes-Acid Mine Drainage, Limnology and Reclamation, Environ. Sci. Series. Springer, 147-167.
Neumann, P.: 1995, Untersuchungen zur Nahrungsqualit%ot von benthischem feinpartikul%rem Detritus f, r Feinpartikelsammler unter dem Aspekt seiner biochemischen Zusammensetzung im Breitenbach. PhD-Thesis, Philipps-University Marburg.
Peine, A. and Peiffer, S.: 1998, In-lake neutralisation of acid mine lakes. In: Geller, W., Klapper, H. and Salomons, W. (Eds) Acid Mining Lakes-Acid Mine Drainage, Limnology and Reclamation, Environ. Sci. Series. Springer, 47-63.
Schaller, T., Moor, H.C. and Wehrli, B.: 1997a, Aquat. sci. 59, 326-344.
Schaller, T., Moor, H.C. and Wehrli, B,: 1997b, Aquat sci. 59, 345-361.
Schultze, M. and Geller, W.: 1996, The acid lakes of lignite mining district of the former German Democratic Republic. In: Reuther, R. (ed) Geochemical approaches to environmental engineering of metals. Environ. Sci. Series. Springer, pp 89-105.
Singer, P.C.and Stumm, W,: 1970, Science. 167, 1121-1123.
Taylor, B.E., Wheeler, M.C. and Nordstrom, D.K.: 1984, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 48 , 2669-2678.
Tuttle, M.L., Goldhaber, M.B. & Williamson, D.L.: 1986, Talanta 33, 953-961.
Wehrli, B., Friedl, G. and Manceau, A.: 1995, Reaction rates and products of manganese oxidation at the sediment-water interface. In: Huang, C.P., O'Melia, C.R. and Morgan, J.J. (Eds) Aquatic Chemistry-Interfacial and interspecies Processes, Adv. Chem. Ser. 244, American Chemical Society, pp 111-134.
Wendt-Potthoff, K. and Neu, T.R.: 1998, Microbial processes for potential in situ remediation of acidic lakes. In: Geller, W., Klapper, H. and Salomons, W. (Eds) Acid Mining Lakes-Acid Mine Drainage, Limnology and Reclamation, Environ. Sci. Series. Springer, 269-284.
Yanagisawa, F. and Sakai, H.: 1983, Anal. Chem. 55, 985-987.
Zachmann, D.W., Bachmann, T., Becker, A. and Friese, K.: 1998, Erdwissenschaftliche Aspekte des Umwetlschutzes. Tagungsband (ISBN 3-9500844-0-1), Österreichisches Forschungs-und Prüfzentrurm Arsenal GmbH, 331-336.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Friese, K., Wendt-Potthoff, K., Zachmann, D. et al. Biogeochemistry of Iron and Sulfur in Sediments of an Acidic Mining Lake in Lusatia, Germany. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 108, 231–247 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005195617195
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005195617195