Comparison of single and sequential extraction procedures for assessing metal leaching from dredged coastal sediments

Potential uses of dredged sediments have raised questions about leaching of contaminants from such material once transported to other locations and exposed to other environments. In order to estimate leachable, i.e. available fractions of chemical elements in such materials, a number of analytical protocols were proposed, of which none is internationally accepted as a standard procedure. As a consequence, comparability of the results obtained by different protocols in various laboratories is difficult to demonstrate. In the present study some commonly used protocols including a leaching test with (i) seawater, following the modified German Standard Method (DIN), (ii) a single extraction with 25% acetic acid, following the method proposed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and (iii) a three-step sequential extraction, following both the original and the modified protocols of the Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (formerly Community Bureau of Reference - BCR), were performed for assessing the availability of lead, zinc, nickel and copper leachable from dredged marine sediments. A comparison of the results obtained by the different protocols indicated that the single extraction with acetic acid is a reliable simplified technique and allows more rapid evaluations of dredged areas of coastal lagoons in the Northern Adriatic. This procedure provides information on the potentially bioavailable portion of metals.