Sources, transport and sinks of beryllium in a coastal landscape affected by acidic soils

Beryllium (Be) sources, transport and sinks were studied in a coastal landscape where acidic soils (acid sulfate soils) have developed after drainage of fine-grained sulfide-bearing sediments. The study included the determination of total abundance and speciation of Be in a variety of solid and aqueous materials in both the terrestrial and estuarine parts of the landscape. A major feature was that despite normal (background) Be concentration in the sulfide-bearing sediments, the Be leaching from these sediments after O2-exposure and acid sulfate soil development were extensive, with concentrations up to 76 μg L−1 in soil water, 39 μg L−1 in runoff and 12 μg L−1 in low-order streams. These high Be concentrations were mainly in the solution form (i.e., passing a 1 kilodalton filter) and modelled to be dominated by free Be2+. The extensive Be release within, and leaching from the acid sulfate soils was controlled by pH, with a critical value of 4.0 below which the Be concentrations increased strongly. Although plagioclase and mica were most likely the main carriers of Be within these soils, it is suggested that other minerals such as Be hydroxides, Al hydroxides carrying Be, and Be sulfides are the main contributors of the abundance of dissolved Be in the acidic waters. When the acidic and Be-rich creek water was neutralized in the estuary of relatively low salinity, the dominating solution form of Be was removed by transformation to particles, reflected in the suspended particulate matter that had hydroxylamine hydrochloride extractable Be up to 17 mg kg−1 and ammonium acetate EDTA extractable Be up to 4 mg kg−1. In corresponding pristine materials (parent material of the acid sulfate soils) in the catchment, the median Be extractability with these reagents were only 0.3 and 0.05 mg kg−1, respectively. As the Be-rich suspended particulate matter ultimately became benthic sediment, the Be was preserved in terms of total concentrations but underwent to some extent changes in speciation, including release from hydroxides and concomitant scavenging by organic matter and particle surfaces.