Tracing the dynamic changes of element profiles with ultralow disturbance to soil-water interface

Zheng CHENa, Zhaofeng- Yuana,b, Williamson Gustave a,b and Jonathan Bridge b

a Department of Environmental Science, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China

b Department of Environmental Science, University of Liverpool, UK

Zheng.Chen@xjtlu.edu.cn or ebiogeochem@outlook.com

The elements’ concentration and speciation may change dramatically along the interfaces of difference environmental phases. However, techniques able to track these changing element profiles both in space and over time with appropriate resolution are rare. Here, we report a new technique, the Integrated Porewater Injection sampler (IPI sampler), which is designed for soil pore water sampling with minimum disturbance to saturated soil environment. IPI sampler employs a single hollow fiber membrane tube to passively sample porewater surrounding the tube. When working, it can be integrated into the sample introduction system, thus the sample preparation procedure is dramatically simplified. In this study, IPI samplers are coupled to ICP-MS at data-only mode. The limits of detection of IPIS-ICP-MS for Ni, As, Cd, Sb and Pb are 0.12, 0.67, 0.027, 0.029 and 0.074 μg·L-1, respectively. We assembled an IPI profiler using 3D printing to combine 25 IPI tubes in a one-dimensional array. The sampler array is able to analyze element profiles at high spatial resolution (~2mm) every >3 hours. When deployed in arsenic-contaminated paddy soils, it depicted the distributions and dynamics of multiple elements at anoxic-oxic transition. The results show IPI samlper is a powerful and robust technique in monitoring dynamics of element profile (>3 hours) in soil porewater at high spatial resolution (mm level). The method will greatly facilitate studies of elements behaviors in sediments of wetland, rivers, lakes and oceans.

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