Leaching of Metals from Steel Slag and Their Ecological Effects on a Marine Ecosystem: Validating Field Data with Mesocosm Observations.

ABSTRACT: Steel slag is being used worldwide for a variety of applications, among which is underwater dyke reinforcement. In the present study the leaching and bioaccumulation of 18 inorganic compounds from basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steel slag were monitored in marine experimental ecosystems (mesocosms) for 12 wk. Triplicate mesocosms were installed at 2 refreshment rates, one reflecting the situation in the Oosterschelde estuary where BOF steel slag was applied and the other at a 35 times lower rate. Vanadium in both water and biota turned out to be the best tracer for the presence of BOF steel slag in the mesocosms. The mesocosm data helped to interpret the results of a 4-yr field sampling program in the Oosterschelde estuary where no elevated levels of vanadium in water or biota were found near

SUBMITTER: Foekema EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8457184 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature