Concentration and Geochemical Phases of Heavy Metals in Marine Sediments in the Vicinity of the Coal-fired Power Plant of Korea

석탄화력발전소 주변해역 퇴적물 내의 중금속원소의 함량과 지화학적 존재형태

Marine surface sediments in the vicinity of Samcheonpo coal-fired power plant were analyzed by a total analysis($HF+HNO_3+HClO_4$) and sequential extraction procedure for heavy metals in order to investigate the total concentrations and geochemical phases of heavy metals. The result showed that the concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn were within ranges typical for coastal areas, which reflected the mineralogical composition of the sediments in the studied area. However, the distributions of Cd, Co, Mn, Ni and Pb were rather different from the former, indicating that these heavy metals had a different origin, or that they were affected by a different geochemical mechanism. Chemical partitioning of heavy metals using sequential extraction procedure revealed that Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn were significantly bound to the residual phases of the sediments, whereas carbonate phases contained considerable amounts of Mn. The significant association of Pb with the exchangeable fraction also indicated that Pb was more mobile and bioavailable than Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn.