Isotopic and Chemical Composition of the Deep Water of Lake Baikal

Abstract

Introduction. Due to its natural composition, the deep water of Lake Baikal can be bottled without any conserving agents. The development of large-scale production of bottled Baikal water requires its detailed study in order to protect it from counterfeit and falsification. The purpose of this work was to study the isotopic and chemical composition of the deep water of Lake Baikal and offer indicators for its identification. Study objects and methods. The research included deep water of Lake Baikal, sampled at various points, the water from the Angara River, and the tap water from the cities of Irkutsk and Shelekhov. The tests were performed using a quadrupole ICP-MS mass spectrometer and a Delta V Plus isotope mass spectrometer with a GasBench II module. Results and discussion. All the water samples revealed fresh water with insignificant mineralization. As for salts, the deep water samples had a lower content of sodium and chlorides, as well as a higher content of silicon. As for metals, the deep water samples contained iron, manganese, copper, and zinc; in the tap water samples, these indicators were significantly higher. Unlike that of the Angara water samples, the isotopic profile of the deep water samples was somewhat “lighter”, both in the ratio of oxygen isotopes δ18O – by 0.73‰, and hydrogen δD – by 0.49‰. The tap water samples had a higher deuterium content. The content of oxygen isotopes (δ18O) in the tap water samples was close to that in the Angara samples. Conclusion. The complex physicochemical and isotope analyses expanded the list of identification indicators and made it possible to identify the deep water of Lake Baikal.