The fate of sulfur of industrial origin in the pedosphere and hydrosphere near a sour gas plant in Alberta, Canada

The fate of technogenic sulfur released from a sour gas plant in Alberta (Canada) in the surrounding pedosphere and hydrosphere was assessed by chemical and isotopic techniques. The key to the successful use of stable sulfur isotopes in the case study was that sulfur emissions from the gas plant have δ34S-values near +22 %0, while δ34S-values near 0 %o found in several soil, groundwater, and surface water samples were assumed to represent preindustrial background values. Sulfur isotope analyses for total soil sulfur and groundwater sulfate indicated clearly increasing admixture of technogenic S with proximity to the emission source. In some groundwater and surface water samples, however, evidence for bacterial sulfate reduction was found. Since both the admixture of industrial sulfur and dissimilatory sulfate reduction cause increased δ34S-values for aqueous sulfate, it can be difficult to delineate the relative importance of both processes without using other chemical parameters.