Time series analysis for determining ecologically acceptable Cu concentration from species sensitivity distribution with biotic ligand models in soil pore water

Abstract

A site-specific, ecologically acceptable concentration of Cu in soil pore water was determined with four trophic levels of soil-residing organisms. Specifically, soil pore water was periodically collected from a site contaminated with heavy metals using in-situ samplers. Dissolved Cu concentration, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl-, SO42-, NO3-, dissolved organic carbon, pH, and temperature were analyzed to derive a half-maximal effective concentration of Cu (EC50[Cu]T) using a biotic ligand model (BLM). The BLM parameters, such as binding constants (logKXBL) and the fraction of biotic ligand sites occupied by Cu ions (f), were adapted from previous studies. The EC50{Cu2+} values were used to construct a species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curve from which the hazardous concentration, protecting 95% of the soil-residing organisms (HC5), was determined. Using ten BLM-based acceptable concentrations of Cu obtained by combining BLM and SSD, time series analysis was conducted with the fixed monitoring benchmark method to obtain maximum Cu concentration as an endpoint exhibiting no-adverse-effect which was found to be 0.084 mg/L of Cu in soil pore water at the test site. This study provides a systematic tool for determining an ecologically acceptable concentration of Cu in the soil by incorporating soil pore water chemistry and time series analysis. © 2021 Korean Society of Environmental Engineers.