Trace metal partitioning in marine sediments and sludges deposited off the coast of Barcelona (Spain)

As part of a study on the environmental impact of the sludges discharged on the littoral platform in front of Barcelona (Spain), marine sediment samples were analysed. Major components were determined and the Tessier sequential extraction procedure was applied to study Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn distribution in eleven samples taken at nine sampling sites. From the data it can be inferred that in this type of sediment with high carbonate content, Cd is the most easily extractable metal, followed by Cr, Pb and Zn, and that Cu and Ni are the most retained. The anthropogenic contribution is also evaluated from the total metal contents using the metal content of a relatively non-polluted sediment sample taken from the same area as a baseline.