sediment analysis T2,T3.xls

Sediment samples were collected from the downstream (T2) and upstream (T3) of Tócó Creek in Debrecen, Hungary, to examine the long-term effects of treated sewage effluent on an intermittent stream with a low flow rate. The samples were processed and extracted using 2 M NaOH and 2 M HNO₃, and they were then examined so that the visible spectrum of the extracted humus-containing solutions was analyzed. In all cases, a first-order exponentially declining function was fitted to the obtained absorbance-wavelength functions with good estimation, where parameter “k” describes the stability of the humic substances and parameter “b” represents the overall humic concentration of the solution. The literature-known humus stability parameters E4/E6 and E2/E3 indicate that the molecule is more stable as its absorbance is less at longer wavelengths. The accuracy of the humus stability measurement can be greatly improved by using a function fitted to the whole spectrum, where 400 measurement points are included. The large number of measured points for providing information on the status of the fulvic acid and humic acid means that the current measurements are likely to be more precise and suitable for achieving the stated objective of this paper. Organic matter content (OMC) of the sediment taken below the sewage discharge point has proved to be more stable than the sample taken above the discharge point.