Abstract
Oman is located in the tropic of Cancer with extremely hot temperatures ranging between 15˚C -25˚C in winter and 30 - 48˚C in the summer with low rainfall. Most of the water source is desalinated seawater. Recycling of sewage effluent is a common practice used for farming, public parks and industry. The dried sludge product is used as fertilizer. The highly concentrated sludge with heavy metals is either incinerated or buried in landfills. Heavy metals were analyzed and compared in treated sewage effluent (TSE), slurry sludge, dried sludge, landfill and underground water. Heavy metal concentrations were analyzed using the inductive coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). All samples contained the same heavy metals with different concentrations. The heaviest concentrations were Zn, Cr, Cu and Ni with traces of V, Cd, Pb and Ba. TSE and sludge were the main sources of landfill and underground water contamination. Due to water evaporation, heavy metals concentrations in sludge were higher compared to TSE and underground water. Dried sludge and landfill contained higher concentrations than the others. Based on this investigation, it appears that the source of heavy metals is from TSE originated mainly in industries. If the infiltration of heavy metals to underground water continues, it will be a serious environmental and health problem in the future.
Highlights
Due to low rainfall in Oman, seawater desalination is the main source of potable water
Treated sewage effluent (TSE) is predominantly used for irrigation, which is the major source of heavy metal contamination
Analyses of heavy metals in all samples revealed that the major metals in order of their abundance were Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni followed by traces of V and Cd (Figure 2)
Summary
Due to low rainfall in Oman, seawater desalination is the main source of potable water. Sewage water is reclaimed through sewage treatment plants established in main metropolitan areas in Oman. Treated sewage effluent (TSE) is predominantly used for irrigation, which is the major source of heavy metal contamination. In Oman, during the last few years, there has been a steady increase in heavy metal concentrations at. How to cite this paper: Al-Musharafi, S. Environmental Contamination by Industrial Effluents and Sludge Relative to Heavy Metals. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 2, 14-18.
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