Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/6525
Title: Mechanisms that regulate the intensity of oxidation-reduction in anaerobic sediments and natural water systems
Authors: Brannon, James M.
Gunnison, Douglas.
Butler, Patricia L.
Smith, Issac.
Keywords: Anaerobic conditions
Oxidation-reduction potential
Anaerobic processes
Sediment
Chemical analysis
Water supply systems
Laboratory tests
Wetlands
Biodegradation
Chemical kinetics
Publisher: U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station
Series/Report no.: Technical Report (Wetlands Research Program (U.S.)) ; no. Technical Report Y-78-11
Abstract: A literature review and a series of laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the mechanisms that regulate the intensity of oxidation-reduction in natural environments. Results of the literature review indicated that following depletion of oxygen and nitrate, the highly reduced conditions reached by systems containing substantial amounts of organic matter appear to involve mixed potentials generated by unknown organic oxidation-reduction couples that act in concert with inorganic oxidation-reduction couples. Results of the laboratory studies confirmed that organic oxidation-reduction couples of an unknown nature were exerting a strong influence on Eh. The iron and manganese oxidation-reduction systems were also shown to be affecting Eh, although in a manner consistent with the existence of a mixed potential. Redox potential should only be used as a semiquantitative indicator of the intensity of reduction. Precise evaluation of the reduction status of anaerobic natural environments should be determined by rigorous analysis of various chemical constituents, including manganese (II), iron (II), and sulfide. Comparison of results of the present study with those of others indicated that microbial succession and appearance of reduced products closely parallel those found in flooded soils and sediments. The appearance of reduced products corresponded to the sequence roughly predicted by thermodynamics.
Description: Technical Report
Gov't Doc #: Technical Report Y-78-11
Rights: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11681/6525
Size: 116 pages
Types of Materials: PDF
Appears in Collections:Technical Report

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