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Organophosphate esters in sediment from Taihu Lake, China: Bridging the gap between riverine sources and lake sinks

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Abstract

Surface sediment samples from Taihu Lake in China and its inflow rivers, along with two lake sediment core samples, were collected and analyzed for organophosphate esters (OPEs). The concentrations of total OPEs varied from 28.60 ng/g to 158.72 ng/g (median: 54.25 ng/g) in river surface sediment and from 62.57 ng/g to 326.84 ng/g (median: 86.37 ng/g) in lake sediment. Tributyl phosphate (TnBP) was the predominant compound in river surface sediment, and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate was predominant in lake sediment. High contamination occurred in the north-west region, which was related to the high level of urbanization and high usage of OPEs. The sediment-water partition coefficients of OPEs (logKoc) were calculated, showing a significant correlation with logKow (p < 0.05). The concentration and composition of OPEs in two sediment cores varied due to the different sampling locations, with more OPE species found in the northern region than in the southern one. Principal component analysis and positive matrix factorization indicated that sewage discharges, vehicle emissions, and atmospheric deposition were the possible sources of OPEs in Taihu Lake sediments. Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate, tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate, and TnBP were the main OPEs causing ecological risks.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research of Central Public Research Institutes (2019YSKY-022, 2020YSKY-018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Wenping Zhang, Changsheng Guo, Jiapei Lv, Xu Li & Jian Xu

  2. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment of Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Changsheng Guo, Jiapei Lv & Jian Xu

  3. Center for Environmental Health Risk Assessment and Research, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Changsheng Guo & Jian Xu

Authors
  1. Wenping Zhang
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  2. Changsheng Guo
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  3. Jiapei Lv
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  4. Xu Li
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  5. Jian Xu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jian Xu.

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Highlights

• Eleven OPEs were detected in river sediment and lake sediment in Taihu Lake.

• TnBP dominated in river sediment, while TBEP dominated in lake sediment.

• A strong correlation existed between logKoc and logKow of OPEs.

• Vertical profiles of OPEs in sediment cores varied according to sampling location.

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Zhang, W., Guo, C., Lv, J. et al. Organophosphate esters in sediment from Taihu Lake, China: Bridging the gap between riverine sources and lake sinks. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 16, 30 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1464-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1464-9

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