Effects of freeze-drying on partitioning patterns of major elements and trace metals in lake sediments Original Research Article

The effect of freeze-drying on elemental partitioning pattern in four lake sediments was evaluated using the sequential extraction method developed under the auspices of Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) of the Commission of European Communities. Redox-sensitive elements like iron, manganese, phosphorus, and sulfur were analyzed simultaneously with several trace metals. This allows a qualitative determination of which trace metal-scavenging phases commonly found in freshwater sediments that are most susceptible to freeze-drying. The comparison of a surface layer and a deeper more reduced layer collected from four sediment cores ranging from sub-oxic to anoxic condition indicate the changes in partitioning pattern due to freeze-drying. Two of the lakes exhibiting clearly reduced environments are most affected by freeze-drying in terms of change in partitioning patterns. However, this effect is element specific and varies with sediment depth along the redox gradient. Elements commonly associated with a sulfide phase (S, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Pb) and extracted in BCR step 3 are the most affected elements, but at the same time also dependent on the organic matter content in the sediment. Si and Al that are often considered as conservative elements show a shift from step 3 to step 2, and it is interpreted as a release of Si and Al from organic matter and the subsequent formation of oxides during freeze-drying. Calcium and manganese, elements that are often associated with a carbonate phase, do not seem to be severely affected by this kind of treatment. Carbonate-associated iron (operationally defined), however does show a clear tendency to oxidize during the freeze-drying process. In fact, the shift in iron (carbonate to oxide fraction) corresponds to 3–4% (w/w) of the total sediment in some cases. Surprisingly, a significant fraction of iron originally extracted in step 1 (as “carbonate”) seems to be immobilized during freeze-drying. These results clearly show that freeze-drying does not preserve the speciation pattern of major elements, trace metals, phosphorus, and sulfur in anoxic lake sediment core sections during storage prior to BCR sequential extraction procedures.