Evaluation of geochemical behavior and heavy metal distribution of sediments: The case study of the Tirumalairajan river estuary, southeast coast of India

The purpose of this study was to assess the chemical partitioning of selected heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Co and Ni) in 10 surface sediments at Tirumalairajan River Estuary in the southeastern coast of India. A five-step sequential extraction technique was used to assess the environmental status of heavy metals. Most of metals were considered to be immobile due to the high availability in the residual fraction of heavy metals. The sediments of Tirumalairajan River estuary had not been polluted by heavy metals, and they didn't pose any high ecological risk. The seasonal variations of heavy metals were slightly higher in summer than in monsoon season. Factor analysis was also carried out to understand the associations of metals in different fractions with sand, silt, clay, organic matter, pH, salinity and other metals. The relationship between the Q-mode and R-mode cluster analyses was useful for identifying the pollution levels in both seasons. It was proved that the enrichment of heavy metals was related with geogenic and anthropogenic sources. The information on total metal concentrations in sediments was not sufficient for assessing the metal behavior in the environment, but the sequential extraction technique was more effective in estimating the environmental impact of contaminated sediments.