Zinc

The second one is utilizing 65 Zn to analysis the removal of zinc in two different types of environment, mangrove-vegetated forest, and unvegetated tidal creek. In this study, sediments from a mangrove ecosystem in Sepetiba Bay was utilized for investigation since Zinc is the major contaminant in this region. In the laboratory, researchers used radiotracer 65Zn with half-life 244 days to undergo the experiment. Among the isotope of zinc, 65Zn has the longest half-life. Since it is the first time to study the removal rate of Zinc, a stable Zinc use can result in a better understanding of metal uptake kinetics. First, the core sediment samples were collected by using Plexiglas tubes in the mangrove forest and the tidal creek. Then, an 8 cm column of 65 Zn-spiked tidal water replaced the water column overlaying the core sediment sample. In order to maintain an oxygen-saturated condition with respect to the condition of oxygenated coastal water (Petersen et al. 1998), moist air was pumped overlaying the water column. The experiment apparatus shows as below (Fig. 2). The activities of 65 Zn in the water column and sediment samples were determined by gamma-ray spectrometry with a high-purity GE detector. After drying and weighing the sediment column, the density was determined. The inventories …show more content…
However, there was a surprising released of 65Zn back to the overlaying water column in the tidal creek sediment sample. Researcheres concluded that even though the mangrove-vegetated sediment has lower vertical mobility of zinc, greater retaining power for it to retain zinc near the water- sediment interface. The difference in the removal of 65Zn in two different sediments are possibly due to the different components in the sediment and