Accumulation, Distribution, and Toxicity of Copper in Sediments of Catfish Ponds Receiving Periodic Copper Sulfate Applications

• Published in: Journal of environmental quality Vol. 30; no. 3; pp. 912 - 919
• Main Authors: Han, F.X., Hargreaves, John A., Kingery, William L., Huggett, Duane B., Schlenk, Daniel K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Madison American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society 01.05.2001; Crop Science Society of America; American Society of Agronomy
• Subjects: Accumulation; Algicides; Amphipoda; Animal aquaculture; Animal productions; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Applied sciences; Aquaculture; Aquatic plants; Bioassays; Bioavailability; Biological and medical sciences; Biological and physicochemical properties of pollutants. Interaction in the soil; Biological Availability; Copper - pharmacokinetics; Copper - toxicity; Copper sulfate; Copper Sulfate - chemistry; cupric sulfate; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Fresh water environment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Hyalella azteca; Ictaluridae; Ictalurus punctatus; Iron oxides; Moisture content; Organic matter; Pisciculture; Plants; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Ponds; Sediments; Soil and sediments pollution; Soil water; Sulfates; Typha latifolia; Vertebrate aquaculture; Water Movements; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Monocotyledones; Toxicity; Amphipoda; Crustacea; Freshwater environment; Algicide; Pollution; Pisces; Angiospermae; Parasiticid; Copper; Typha latifolia; Speciation; Fractionation; Bioassay; Ecotoxicology; Pollutant behavior; Pesticides; Bioavailability; Ictalurus punctatus; Sediments; Heavy metal; Sorption; Vertebrata; Biogeochemistry; Typhaceae; Hyalella azteca; Arthropoda; Environment impact; Pisciculture; Spermatophyta; Invertebrata; Copper sulfate
• ISSN: 0047-2425; 1537-2537
• DOI: 10.2134/jeq2001.303912x

ABSTRACT Copper sulfate (CuSO4) is applied periodically to commercial channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) ponds as an algicide or parasiticide. Current understanding of the chemistry of copper in soil–water systems suggests that copper may accumulate in pond sediments, although the forms and potential bioavailability of copper in catfish pond sediments are not known. This study investigated the accumulation and distribution of copper in the sediment of catfish ponds receiving periodic additions of CuSO4 · 5H2O. All ponds were constructed in Sharkey (very‐fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquert) soil. Nine 0.40‐ha ponds received 59 applications of 2.27 kg CuSO4 · 5H2O per application per pond over 3 yr; no CuSO4 · 5H2O applications were made to nine additional ponds. Total Cu concentration in the sediments of CuSO4 · 5H2O‐amended catfish ponds (172.5 mg kg−1) was four to five times higher than that in the sediments of nonamended ponds (36.1 mg kg−1). Copper accumulated in catfish pond sediments at a rate of 41 μg kg−1 dry sediment for each 1 kg ha−1 of CuSO4 · 5H2O applied to ponds. Copper in the sediments of amended ponds was mainly in the organic matter–bound (30.7%), carbonate‐bound (31.8%), and amorphous iron oxide–bound (22.1%) fractions with a considerable fraction (3.4%; 3 to 8 mg kg−1) in soluble and exchangeable fractions. This indicates that Cu accumulates differentially in various fractions, with proportionally greater initial accumulation in potentially bioavailable forms. However, toxicity bioassays with amphipods (Hyallela azteca) and common cattail (Typha latifolia L.) indicated that the effect of exposure to amended or nonamended pond sediments was not different.