Abstract
In this research, Ningbo City, a typical industrial city in southeastern China, was selected as the study area, and the concentrations of 12 heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu, Hg, As, Co, V, Se, and Mn) were measured at 248 sampling points. Pollution index methods were used to assess the status of soil heavy metal contamination, and the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model and Unmix model were integrated to identify and apportion the sources of heavy metal contamination. The results indicated that nearly 70% of the study area was polluted by heavy metals, and that Ni, Cr, and Zn were the main enriched heavy metals. The five sources identified using the PMF model were a geological source, an atmospheric deposition source, a transportation emissions source, a mixed source of agriculture and industry, and a mixed source of geology and industry. The four sources identified using the Unmix model were a mixed source of geology, agriculture, and industry (14.27%); a transportation emissions source (4.76%); a geological source (14.7%); and a mixed source of geology and industry (66.28%). These results have practical significance, as they can help to carry out pollution source risk assessment and give priority to the management of pollution source control.
Highlights
Previous studies have reported that soil heavy metal pollution is generally caused by natural and anthropogenic factors
Combined with the spatial interpolation method, the NIPI results calculated based on the Single Pollution Index (SPI) revealed that nearly 70% of the soil sites in the study area were contaminated by heavy metals
Source 1 and 4 together accounted for 80.55%, revealing that more than 80% of the heavy metal pollution in the study area may have been related to industrial activities, while traffic emissions had the smallest influence on heavy metal pollution. These results suggest that the discharge of industrial waste was still the main source of the soil heavy metal pollution in the study area, and it should be the focus of pollution prevention and control measures
Summary
Soil accommodates a large number of potentially toxic elements, including heavy metals [1].Due to their accumulation, irreversibility, persistence, and high toxicity [2], excessive heavy metal concentrations lead to poor growth of plants and crops, a reduced number of animal communities [3], and threats to human health through food intake [4]. Soil accommodates a large number of potentially toxic elements, including heavy metals [1]. Previous studies have reported that soil heavy metal pollution is generally caused by natural and anthropogenic factors. The natural factors include the geological parent materials, which determine the background content of heavy metals [6,7]. The accumulation potential of heavy metals is related to the soil type, texture, clay content, and chemical characteristics [8]. Combined with the spatial interpolation method, the NIPI results calculated based on the SPI revealed that nearly 70% of the soil sites in the study area were contaminated by heavy metals. Except for small areas in the western, central, northern, southeastern, and southwestern regions, the rest of the soil sites were heavily polluted, accounting for 58.85% of the total study area and exhibiting a concentrated contiguous spatial distribution (Figure 3). The degrees of V, Se, and Mn pollution were relatively small, 80% of the sampling points were within the pollution-free range, and there was no heavy pollution by these elements
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