Measurement of biologically available organic material in intertidal sediments subject to inputs of sea coal or colliery wastes

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 92; no. 1; pp. 39 - 44
• Main Authors: Hyslop, Brian T., Davies, Mark S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Ashing; colliery wastes; Exact sciences and technology; H 2O 2; Marine; organic content; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; sediment; Soil and sediments pollution; England; United Kingdom; Great Britain; Europe; ANE, British Isles, England, Northumberland; British Isles, England, Northeast; H 2O 2; organic content; colliery wastes; Ashing; sediment; Solid waste; Organic matter; Marine sediments; Soil pollution; Coastal zone; Mining waste
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/0269-7491(95)00088-7

A method for the measurement of biologically available organic matter in intertidal or subtidal marine sediments subject to an input of sea coal or colliery wastes is described. The method involves boiling sediment in hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2) for 4 h at 160°C to dissolve non-colliery waste organic matter which is then recorded as weight lost after rinsing and drying. Samples are then ashed at 495°C to determine the weight of coal or colliery wastes present. Although H 2O 2 shows a slight reaction with colliery wastes (overall mean of 0.86% weight loss), it is appropriate to use this technique for the determination of organic matter available to sediment-dwelling biota. We show that shore organic content should not be determined merely by ashing sediment, even on shores which do not appear to contain wastes, since even visibly ‘clean’ shores in north-east England generally contain some coal fragments in their sediment. Our method is suitable anywhere where biologically available organic matter needs to be measured independently of waste content, e.g. in terrestrial systems close to centres of mining activity.