Pitfalls of acid leaching method for determining organic and inorganic carbon contents in marine sediments

Chen Ling; Zhifei Liu; Jingwen Zhang; Yulong Zhao; Yanwei Zhang; Adrian R. Fernandez

doi:10.1007/s13131-020-1631-z

Volume 39 Issue 8

Aug. 2020

Turn off MathJax

Article Contents

Article Navigation > Acta Oceanologica Sinica > 2020 > 39(8): 96-102

Chen Ling, Zhifei Liu, Jingwen Zhang, Yulong Zhao, Yanwei Zhang, Adrian R. Fernandez. Pitfalls of acid leaching method for determining organic and inorganic carbon contents in marine sediments[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2020, 39(8): 96-102. doi: 10.1007/s13131-020-1631-z

Citation:

Chen Ling, Zhifei Liu, Jingwen Zhang, Yulong Zhao, Yanwei Zhang, Adrian R. Fernandez. Pitfalls of acid leaching method for determining organic and inorganic carbon contents in marine sediments[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2020, 39(8): 96-102. doi: 10.1007/s13131-020-1631-z

Citation:

Chen Ling, Zhifei Liu, Jingwen Zhang, Yulong Zhao, Yanwei Zhang, Adrian R. Fernandez. Pitfalls of acid leaching method for determining organic and inorganic carbon contents in marine sediments[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2020, 39(8): 96-102. doi: 10.1007/s13131-020-1631-z

PDF( 499 KB)

Pitfalls of acid leaching method for determining organic and inorganic carbon contents in marine sediments

doi: 10.1007/s13131-020-1631-z

State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

Funds: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41530964, 41776047, 41876048 and 91528304.

More Information

Corresponding author: E-mail: lzhifei@tongji.edu.cn
Received Date: 2019-12-13
Accepted Date: 2020-03-02

Available Online: 2020-12-28

Publish Date: 2020-08-25

Abstract

Abstract

Organic and inorganic carbon contents of marine sediments are important to reconstruct marine productivity, global carbon cycle, and climate change. A proper method to separate and determine organic and inorganic carbons is thus of great necessity. Although the best method is still disputable, the acid leaching method is widely used in many laboratories because of its ease-of-use and high accuracy. The results of the elemental analysis of sediment trap samples reveal that organic and inorganic carbon contents cannot be obtained using the acid leaching method, causing an infinitely amplified error when the carbon content of the decarbonated sample is 12%±1% according to a mathematical derivation. Acid fumigation and gasometric methods are used for comparison, which indicates that other methods can avoid this problem in organic carbon analysis. For the first time, this study uncovers the pitfalls of the acid leaching method, which limits the implication in practical laboratory measurement, and recommends alternative solutions of organic/inorganic carbon determination in marine sediments.
- marine sediments,
- organic carbon,
- inorganic carbon,
- acid leaching method,
- limitation

FullText(HTML)

References(40)

References

[1]	Bai Yazhi, Liu Jihua, Zhang Hui, et al. 2013. The analysis of organic carbon and total nitrogen in marine sediments. Marine Environmental Science (in Chinese), 32(3): 444–447, 459
[2]	Bisutti I, Hilke I, Raessler M. 2004. Determination of total organic carbon–An overview of current methods. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 23(10–11): 716–726
[3]	Black H D, Anderson W T, Alvarez Zarikian C A. 2018. Data report: organic matter, carbonate, and stable isotope stratigraphy from IODP Expedition 346 Sites U1426, U1427, and U1429. In: Tada R, Murray R W, Alvarez Zarikian C A, et al., eds. Proceedings of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, Volume 346. College Station, TX: Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, 2–3
[4]	Blattmann T M, Zhang Yanwei, Zhao Yulong, et al. 2018. Contrasting fates of petrogenic and biospheric carbon in the South China Sea. Geophysical Research Letters, 45(17): 9077–9086. doi: 10.1029/2018GL079222
[5]	Brodie C R, Leng M J, Casford J S L, et al. 2011. Evidence for bias in C and N concentrations and δ¹³C composition of terrestrial and aquatic organic materials due to pre-analysis acid preparation methods. Chemical Geology, 282(3–4): 67–83
[6]	Byers S C, Mills E L, Stewart P L. 1978. A comparison of methods of determining organic carbon in marine sediments, with suggestions for a standard method. Hydrobiologia, 58(1): 43–47. doi: 10.1007/BF00018894
[7]	Castro C G, Chavez F P, Pennington J T, et al. 2018. Temporal variability of downward fluxes of organic carbon off Monterey Bay. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 151: 89–101. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2018.07.001
[8]	Chen Jianfang, Wiesner M G, Li Hongliang, et al. 2015. Biogeochemical fluxes and biological pump composition in the South China Sea. Bulletin of Mineralogy, Petrology & Geochemistry (in Chinese), 34(5): 911–919
[9]	Chen Jianfang, Zheng Lianfu, Chen Ronghua, et al. 1998. Fluxes and constituents of particulate matter in the South China Sea in comparison with sediment accumulation rates. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica (in Chinese), 16(3): 14–19
[10]	Cheng Sihai, Lei Zhisheng, Chen Daohua. 2010. Determination of carbonate in marine sediment by element analyzer. Chemical Analysis & Meterage (in Chinese), 19(5): 29–31
[11]	Froelich P N. 1980. Analysis of organic carbon in marine sediments. Limnology & Oceanography, 25(3): 564–572
[12]	Galy V, Bouchez J, France-Lanord C. 2007. Determination of total organic carbon content and δ¹³C in carbonate-rich detrital sediments. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 31(3): 199–207. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-908X.2007.00864.x
[13]	Gibbs R J. 1977. Effect of combustion temperature and time, and of the oxidation agent used in organic carbon and nitrogen analyses of sediments and dissolved organic material. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 47(2): 547–550
[14]	Harris D, Horwáth W R, Van Kessel C. 2001. Acid fumigation of soils to remove carbonates prior to total organic carbon or carbon-13 isotopic analysis. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 65(6): 1853–1856. doi: 10.2136/sssaj2001.1853
[15]	Hedges J I, Stern J H. 1984. Carbon and nitrogen determinations of carbonate-containing solids. Limnology and Oceanography, 29(3): 657–663. doi: 10.4319/lo.1984.29.3.0657
[16]	Jones G A, Kaiteris P. 1983. A vacuum-gasometric technique for rapid and precise analysis of calcium carbonate in sediments and soils. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 53(2): 655–660. doi: 10.1306/212F825B-2B24-11D7-8648000102C1865D
[17]	Keil R. 2017. Anthropogenic forcing of carbonate and organic carbon preservation in marine sediments. Annual Review of Marine Science, 9(1): 151–172. doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-010816-060724
[18]	King P, Kennedy H, Newton P P, et al. 1998. Analysis of total and organic carbon and total nitrogen in settling oceanic particles and a marine sediment: an interlaboratory comparison. Marine Chemistry, 60(3–4): 203–216
[19]	Komada T, Anderson M R, Dorfmeier C L. 2008. Carbonate removal from coastal sediments for the determination of organic carbon and its isotopic signatures, δ¹³C and Δ¹⁴C: comparison of fumigation and direct acidification by hydrochloric acid. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 6(6): 254–262. doi: 10.4319/lom.2008.6.254
[20]	Li Liangge, Xu Jinshu. 1987. A comparison of major methods of determination of organic carbon in marine sediments. Tropic Oceanology (in Chinese), 6(1): 46–51
[21]	Li Jiabiao, Ke Changzhi, Kang Shouling, et al. 2008. GB/T 12763.8–2007 Specifications for oceanographic survey—Part 8: Marine geology and geophysics survey (in Chinese). Beijing: Standards Press of China, 22–28
[22]	Lorrain A, Savoye N, Chauvaud L, et al. 2003. Decarbonation and preservation method for the analysis of organic C and N contents and stable isotope ratios of low-carbonated suspended particulate material. Analytica Chimica Acta, 491(2): 125–133. doi: 10.1016/S0003-2670(03)00815-8
[23]	Nelson D W, Sommers L E. 1982. Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. In: Sparks D L, Page A L, Helmke P A, et al., eds. Methods of Soil Analysis. Madison: Agronomy Society of America and Soil Science Society of America, 539–579
[24]	Passow U, Carlson C A. 2012. The biological pump in a high CO₂ world. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 470: 249–271. doi: 10.3354/meps09985
[25]	Peng Yajun, Wang Yujue, Liu Dongyan, et al. 2015. Acid treatment effects on the carbon stable isotope values of marine sediments. Haiyang Xuebao (in Chinese), 37(12): 85–92
[26]	Qiu Lingjia, Huang Guolin, Su Yu, et al. 2015. An overview on current measurment methods of total organic carbon. Guangdong Chemical Industry (in Chinese), 42(9): 107–108, 96
[27]	Roberts A A, Palacas J G, Frost I C. 1973. Determination of organic carbon in modern carbonate sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 43(4): 1157–1159
[28]	Ryba S A, Burgess R M. 2002. Effects of sample preparation on the measurement of organic carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen concentrations in marine sediments. Chemosphere, 48(1): 139–147. doi: 10.1016/S0045-6535(02)00027-9
[29]	Schubert C J, Nielsen B. 2000. Effects of decarbonation treatments on δ¹³C values in marine sediments. Marine Chemistry, 72(1): 55–59. doi: 10.1016/S0304-4203(00)00066-9
[30]	Schwartz V. 1995. Fractionated combustion analysis of carbon in forest soils—New possibilities for the analysis and characterization of different soils. Fresenius’ Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 351(7): 629–631. doi: 10.1007/BF00323339
[31]	Sun Xuan, Song Jinming, Yu Ying, et al. 2014. A rapid method for determing the total organic carbon and total nitrogen in marine sediments with an elemental analyzer. Marine Sciences (in Chinese), 38(7): 14–19
[32]	Tan Yang, Wu Xueli, Hou Lijie. 2018. The effects of sample treatment methods on marine sediment organic carbon stable isotope. Marine Environmental Science (in Chinese), 37(5): 780–784
[33]	Tripathi S, Tiwari M, Lee J, et al. 2017. First evidence of denitrification vis-à-vis monsoon in the Arabian Sea since Late Miocene. Scientific Reports, 7(1): 43056. doi: 10.1038/srep43056
[34]	Verardo D J, Froelich P N, McIntyre A. 1990. Determination of organic carbon and nitrogen in marine sediments using the Carlo Erba NA-1500 Analyzer. Deep Sea Research Part A. Oceanographic Research Papers, 37(1): 157–165. doi: 10.1016/0198-0149(90)90034-S
[35]	Walkley A, Black I A. 1934. An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter, and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Science, 37(1): 29–38. doi: 10.1097/00010694-193401000-00003
[36]	Wang Yifan, Huang Depei, Cui Shuying. 1988. Determination of total carbon, organic carbon and inorganic carbon in marine sediments by 240C elemental analyzer. Marine Environmental Science (in Chinese), 7(2): 73–77
[37]	Weliky K, Suess E, Ungerer C A, et al. 1983. Problems with accurate carbon measurements in marine sediments and particulate matter in seawater: A new approach. Limnology and Oceanography, 28(6): 1252–1259. doi: 10.4319/lo.1983.28.6.1252
[38]	Wu Jinping, Calvert S E, Wong C S, et al. 1999. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of sedimenting particulate material at Station Papa in the subarctic northeast Pacific. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 46(11–12): 2793–2832
[39]	Yang Shouye, Li Congxian. 2006. Compositions of organic elements and carbonate in the late Cenozoic sediments of the Changjiang Delta: Implication for paleoenvironmental changes. Geochimica (in Chinese), 35(3): 249–256
[40]	Zhang Weiyan, Jin Haiyan, Zhang Fuyuan, et al. 2009. Organic carbon distribution in the Yangtze River estuary-Hangzhou Bay and its adjacent sea area. Advances in Earth Science (in Chinese), 24(11): 1202–1209