Abstract
Clay fractions (<2µm) from ten stream sediments were collected from the Euphrates River between AlQaim-Haditha area in the western desert of Iraq. The clay fractions were analyzed for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The aim of this research is to study the extent to which the industrial waste liquids from chemical complex of phosphates pollute stream sediments of Euphrates River. The total metal concentrations in the clay fraction are placed in the following descending order: Sr> Zn> Cr> Ni> Co> Pb> Cu> Cd. Contamination factor pollution load index, geo-accumulation index, the metal contamination index, and potential ecological risk index were calculated to evaluate the environmental impacts of these heavy metals. The study area was found to be highly contaminated with Cd and Ni, moderately contaminated with Co, Pb and Sr, and uncontaminated with Cr, Cu and Zn. 100% of Cd and 93% of Sr were concentrated in the extracted part of the clay fraction, suggesting that Cd is totally derived from the industrial and human activities in the studied area, and Sr which can be attributed to the carbonates of Euphrates Formation as its source which dominate the geology of the area.
Highlights
With population growth, rapid industrial development, and a lack of pollution control measures, soil trace metal contamination is becoming a global problem at both the private and governmental levels, because soils are an important component of both rural and urban environments (USDA, 2001; Rahman et al, 2012; Tang et al, 2014)
Alshallal area is considered as the area where phosphate chemical complex waste water is discharged in the Euphrates River
The current study showed that heavy metal pollution and their descriptive statistical results can be assessed with respect to Upper Continental Crust (UCC)
Summary
Rapid industrial development, and a lack of pollution control measures, soil trace metal contamination is becoming a global problem at both the private and governmental levels, because soils are an important component of both rural and urban environments (USDA, 2001; Rahman et al, 2012; Tang et al, 2014). Heavy metals in the environment are sometimes carried and sourced by sediments (Haiyan et al, 2013). Heavy metals in river sediments enter through different pathways, either from point or non-point sources (Shazili et al, 2006). Grain size distribution plays an important role regarding the content of heavy metals in sediments. Many investigations indicated that when sediments grain size decreases, metal content increases more than those formed of coarser ones (Svetlana et al, 2012). This was attributed to the fact that smaller grains, such as clay fraction sediments, have a larger surface area, which allows heavy metals to be retained in high concentrations (Wang et al, 2006)
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