Effects of a physico-chemical treatment of a dredged sediment on its ecotoxicity after discharge in laboratory gravel pit microcosms

Abstract In France, dredged sediments may be dumped into submerged gravel pits. As a consequence, adverse effects may be expected. In addition, groundwater quality may be impacted due to hydraulic communications with gravel pits. The immersion of dredged sediments into gravel pits should thus be restricted to clean or slightly contaminated sediments to minimize the impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human safe. For highly contaminated sediments, alternatives may be treatments aiming at removing or/and neutralizing contaminants. The Novosol ® treatment was aimed at neutralizing metals by complexation with orthophosphoric acid and discarding organic pollutants by calcination. The efficiency of the Novosol ® treatment was assessed in a scenario of sediment immersion into experimental laboratory gravel pits (LGP). A 180 L water compartment was set up in each system so as to simulate the gravel pit, and various living organisms were introduced. Following a period of colonization and stabilization, raw and treated sediments were introduced into two different LGPs, and the fate and effects of pollutants were studied during the period of deposition and post-deposition. The treatment had positive effects on survival and development of benthic populations and reproduction of pond snails but the introduction of the treated sediment was followed by an increase in salinity (phosphates, sulphates) and a peak of hexavalent chromium at concentrations above drinkability limits and likely to have impaired invertebrate populations of the water column. The results of this study suggest that discharge of contaminated sediments at a high solid:liquid ratio (1:10) in gravel pits or equivalent aquatic ecosystems may have only limited effects on biota and ground water quality. The Novosol ® treatment should, however, be improved so as to increase efficiency of oxidised chromium complexation during the phosphatation step.