Synchronous release of labile phosphorus, labile ferrum, and labile arsenic in water–sediment interface using ZrO–Chelex measured in the Aibi Lake of Northwest China

In the work presented here, a Zr-oxide diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) was used to monitor the release flux of phosphorus (P), ferrum (Fe), and arsenic (As) in the water–sediment interface of Aibi Lake—a typical shallow lake located in the arid regions of Northwest China. Results showed that: (1) In the water–sediments interface of Aibi Lake, the ranges (average values) of labile As, labile P, and labile Fe levels in DGTs are 3.846–101.840 (43.934) µg L −1 , 0.006–0.232 (0.070) mg L −1 , and 0.202–52.984 (15.832) mg L −1 , respectively. Among 0–20 cm of the vertical profile there was a stable distribution of three elements, while below the interface as 0 cm–(− 80) cm there were relatively large changes of these. (2) Fitting analysis showed that there were significant correlations between labile Fe and labile P, and labile As in four DGTs, which showed that in the water–sediments of Aibi Lake, Fe, P, and As are released simultaneously. (3) Combined with former research, we found that the redox of Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ may cause the release of P and As to the sediments and water body from the former Fe–P and Fe–As; the proportion of P/Fe of four DGTs was all relatively lower than 1, suggesting that the redox of Fe 3+ caused the P to be released. (4) This research showed that the concentrations of P, Fe, and As of the water–sediments interface of the lake was obviously lower than that of the water body and sediments of Aibi Lake as well as others of central and eastern China. ZrO-DGT can accurately reflect the distribution of P, Fe, and As of Aibi Lake. These findings can provide initial verification for the use of ZrO-DGT technology in the research of elements at the water–sediment interface in lakes of Xinjiang Province in Northwest China.