Skip to main content
Log in

Isotopic Composition and Origin of Sulfide and Sulfate Species of Sulfur in Thermal Waters of Jiangxi Province (China)

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Aquatic Geochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The reduced sulfur species, sulfide, elemental and thiosulfate were considered in the thermal waters of Jiangxi Province for the first time. It is shown that the sulfur speciation content significantly varies and depends on the pH values. The major part of reduced sulfur refers to sulfide species in the nitric thermal waters, to elemental—in the carbon dioxide thermal waters. The presence of both reduced and oxidized sulfur speciation indicates the possibility of sulfide minerals hydrolysis and disproportionation of the product of this reaction (SO2) with the participation of hot water with the formation of elemental and sulfate sulfur. The isotopic composition of dissolved sulfate and sulfide sulfur speciation has shown that the process of bacterial reduction proceeds in the thermal waters, accompanied by accumulation of relatively heavy sulfur isotope in sulfates. Simultaneously with reduction, the oxidation of both sulfide minerals and newly formed hydrosulfide proceeds with formation of elemental, thiosulfates and also sulfates in the discharge zone was proceeded. It is shown that the process of sulfide oxidation mostly occurs in carbon dioxide thermal waters. Therefore, the elemental sulfur is predominant in carbon dioxide waters. The oxidation process is less significant in the nitric thermal waters, whereby the concentrations of sulfide ion are higher than sulfates. The ambiguous effect of sulfate reduction on the hydrogeochemical environment of the thermal waters is confirmed by the differing value of the carbon isotope ratio of HCO3 in the considered waters. The obtained isotopic composition data 34δS(SO42−) indicate host rocks as a source of sulfates in the thermal waters of Jiangxi Province.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arnorsson S, Gunnlaugsson E, Svavarsson H (1983) The chemistry of geothermal waters in Iceland-II. Mineral equilibria and independent variables controlling water compositions. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 47:547–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aubrey LZ, Kamyshny A Jr, Lee RK, Farquhar J, Oduro H, Arthur MA (2010) Sulfur cycling in a stratified euxinic lake with moderately high sulfate: constraints from quadruple S isotopes. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 74(17):4953–4970

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonch-Osmolovskaya EA (2004) Studies of thermophilic microorganisms at the Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences. Mikrobiol 73(5):551–564

    Google Scholar 

  • Borzenko SV, Zamana LV (2011) Reduced forms of sulfur in the brine of Saline–Soda Lake Doroninskoe, eastern Transbaikal Region. Geochem Int 49:253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buseyev AI, Simonova LN (1975) Analytical chemistry of sulfur. Nauka, Moscow (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Galimov EM (1968) Geochemistry of carbon stable isotopes. Nedra, Moscow (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Giggenbach WF (1988) Geothermal solute equilibria. Derivation of Na–K–Mg–Ca geoindicators. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 52:2749–2765

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skryabin GK, Ivanov MV, Freney G (1983) Global Biogeochemical Sulfur Cycle and Its Influence on Human Activity. Nauka, Moscow: 420 (in Russian)

  • Grasby SE, Hutcheon I, Krouse HR (2000) The influence of water-rock interaction on the chemistry of thermal springs in Western Canada. Appl Geochem 15(4):439–454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grinenko VA, Grinenko LN (1974) Geochemistry of sulfur isotopes. Nauka, Moscow (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gumerov VM, Mardanov AV, Beletsky AV, Ravin NV, Bonch-Osmolovskaya EA (2011) Molecular analysis of microbial diversity in the Zavarzin spring, Uzon caldera, Kamchatka. Microbiology 80(2):244–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henley RW, Truesdell AH, Barton JR, Whitney JA (1984) Fluid-mineral equilibria in hydrothermal systems. Reviews in economic geology. Soc Econ Geol 1:267

    Google Scholar 

  • Hugenholtz P, Pitulle C, Hershberger KL, Pace NR (1998) Novel division level bacterial diversity in a Yellowstone hot spring. J Bacteriol 180:366–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiangxi statistical yearbook (2015) http://www.jiangxi.gov.cn/. Accessed 01 February 2016

  • Kaasalainen H, Stefánsson A (2011) Chemical analysis of sulfur species in geothermal waters. Talanta 85(4):1897–1903

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li X (1979) The relationship between distribution of thermal waters and uranium mineralization in Jiangxi. J East China Geol Inst 21–29

  • Lomonosov IS (1974) Geochemistry and formation of modern hydrothermal waters of the baikal rift zone. Nauka, Novosibirsk (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Merkel AY, Podosokorskaya OA, Sokolova TG, Bonch-Osmolovskaya EA (2016) Diversity of methanogenic archaea from the 2012 terrestrial hot spring (Valley of Geysers, Kamchatka). Microbiology 85(3):C342–C349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neretin LN, Zhabina NN, Demidov TP (1996) Content of inorganic reduced forms of sulfur in the water of the Mediterranean Sea. Sea Chem Oceanogr 36(1):61–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Novikov YV, Lastochkina KO, Boldin ZN (1990) Methods for studying the water quality in reservoirs. Medicine, Moscow (in Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohmoto H, Goldhaber MB (1997) Sulfur and carbon isotopes. In: Barnes HL (ed) Geochemistry of hydrothermal ore deposits, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York, pp 517–611

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohmoto H, Lasaga AC (1982) Kinetics of reactions between aqueous sulfates and sulfides in hydrothermal systems. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 46:1727–1745

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavlov SK, Chudnenko KV (2015) Hydrogeochemical processes of wastewater leakage purification from a thermal power plant. J Environ Sci Health, Part A 50(7):719–727. https://doi.org/10.1080/10934529.2015.1011969

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plyusnin AM, Zamana LV, Shvartsev SL, Tokarenko OG, Chernyavskii MK (2013) Hydrogeochemical peculiarities of the composition of nitric thermal waters in the Baikal Rift Zone. Russ Geol Geophys 54(5):647–664

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poser A, Lohmayer R, Vogt C, Knoeller K, Planer-Friedrich B, Sorokin D, Richnow H-H, Finster K (2013) Disproportionation of elemental sulfur by haloalkaliphilic bacteria from soda lakes. Extremophiles 17(6):1003–1012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-013-0582-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roy AB, Trudinger PA (1970) The biochemistry of inorganic compounds of sulphur. Cambridge University Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Shvartsev SL (2008) Geochemistry of fresh groundwater in the main landscape zone of the Earth. Geochem Int 46(13):1285–1398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shvartsev SL, Wang YX (2006) Geochemistry of sodic waters in the Datong intermountain basin, Shanxi Province, northwestern China. Geochem Int 44(10):1015–1026

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shvartsev SL, Zamana LV, Plyusnin AM, Tokarenko OG (2015) Equilibrium of nitrogen-rich spring waters of the Baikal rift zone with host rock minerals as a basis for determining mechanisms of their formation. Geochem Int 53(8):713–725

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shvartsev SL, Sun Z, Borzenko SV, Gao B, Tokarenko OG, Zippa EV (2018) Geochemistry of the thermal waters in Jiangxi Province, China. Appl Geochem 96:113–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun Z, Li X (2001) Studies of geothermal waters in Jiangxi Province using isotope techniques. Sci China Ser E 44:144–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun Z, Gao B, Zhang Z (2007) Isotopic and geochemical evidence for mantle and crustal contributions to geothermal fluids in Southern Jiangxi Province, China. In: TD Bullen, Y Wang (eds) Proceedings of the 12th international symposium on water-rock Interac., Kunming, China, 31 July–5 August 2007, pp 263–267

  • Sun Z, Shvartsev SL, Tokarenko OG, Zippa EV, Gao B (2016) Geochemical peculiarities of nitric thermal waters in Jiangxi Province (SE-China). In: IOP conference series: earth and environmental science: All-Russian scientific conference with international participation on contemporary issues of hydrogeology, engineering geology and hydrogeoecology in Eurasia 23–27 November 2015, Tomsk, Russia vol 33, no 1

  • Sun Z, Gao B, Shvartsev S, Tokarenko O, Zippa E (2017) The thermal water geochemistry in Jiangxi Province (SE-China). Procedia Earth Planet Sci 17:940–943

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trudinger PA, Swaine DI (1979) The biological sulphur cycle. In: Biogeochemical cycling of mineral-forming elements. Elsevier, Asmterdam, pp 293–313

  • Volkov II, Zhabina NN (1990) Method for determination of the sulfur compounds in brine water. Okeanologiya 90(5):778–782

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu X, Chen Ch, Lee DJ, Wang A, Guo W, Zhou X, Guo H, Yuan Y, Ren N, Chang JS (2013) Sulfate-reduction, sulfide-oxidation and elemental sulfur bioreduction process: modeling and experimental validation. Bioresour Technol 147:202–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zamana LV, Askarov SA, Borzenko SV, Chudaev OV, Bragin IV (2010) Isotopes of sulfide and sulfate sulfur in nitrogen hot springs of the Bauntov group (Baikal rift zone). Doklady Earth Sci 435(1):1515–1517. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X10110231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zavarzin GA (2004) Microbial diversity studies at the Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology. Microbiology 73(5):509–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeikus GJ, Fuchs G, William RK, Thauer RK (1977) Oxidoreductases involved in cell carbon synthesis of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. J Bacteriol 132:604–613

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou W (1996) Studies of geothermal background and isotopic geochemistry of thermal water in Jiangxi Province. In: China nuclear science and technology report

  • Zhou W, Zhang W (2001) Gas isotopes and geochemistry of hot springs in Hengjing, Jiangxi Province. Sci China Ser E: Technol Sci 44(1):151–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zillig W, Stetter KO, Schdfer W, Ianecovic D, Wunderl S, Holz I, Palm P (1981) Thermoproteales: a novel type of extremely thermoacidophilic anaerobic archaebacteria isolated from Icelandic solfataras. Zbl. Bakt. Hyg., I Abt. Orig. 2:205–227

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments go to The Problem Research Laboratory of Hydrogeochemistry (National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University), Institute of Natural Resources, Ecology and Cryology, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the laboratory of Far East Geological Institute, Far East Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (Vladivostok, Russia). The study was financially supported by grants from the Russian Science Foundation (Grant Number 17-17-01158) and Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant Number 18-55-80015).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elena V. Zippa.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Borzenko, S.V., Zippa, E.V. Isotopic Composition and Origin of Sulfide and Sulfate Species of Sulfur in Thermal Waters of Jiangxi Province (China). Aquat Geochem 25, 49–62 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-019-09353-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-019-09353-y

Keywords

Navigation