Sulfatbidraget

Sulfatbidraget, literally the sulfate contribution, is a concept used in hydrology and environmental chemistry to express the portion of the total sulfate load in a water system that originates from a specific source or activity. The term is used in Swedish-speaking contexts to attribute sulfate inputs to industries, agriculture, households, or natural sources, and to compare sources on a common basis.

Calculation and units commonly involve expressing the sulfate load from a source in kilograms per day or tonnes per year. This load is derived from measured or modeled sulfate concentration and water flow, using the relation L = C × Q with appropriate unit conversions. For discrete sources, an emission factor multiplied by the drainage or discharge flow is used to estimate the source-specific load. Sulfate concentration is usually reported in milligrams per liter (mg/L) and flow in cubic meters per second (m3/s), with conversions to obtain annual or daily loads.

Applications and interpretation: The concept supports water quality assessments, regulatory reporting, and remediation planning by enabling authorities and researchers to identify dominant sources of sulfate and to evaluate mitigation measures. It is sensitive to seasonal variation, hydrology, and geochemical processes such as sulfate adsorption or microbial reduction, which can affect the attribution of sulfate inputs.

Origin of the term and usage: The word combines sulfation and contribution, and the concept resembles load-attribution approaches used in environmental management. See also sulfate, water quality assessment, and related sulfur-cycle processes.