Abstract
Cement dust pollution is one of the sources of atmospheric pollution. The main impacts of the cement activity to the environment are the broadcasts of dusts and gases. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of cement dust pollution on physico-chemical characteristics of the soil at the vicinity of the cement factory in Oujda-Taourirt corridor (Eastern Morocco) using Principal component analysis (PCA) and geographical information system (GIS). Forty one (41) surface soils (0 - 3 cm) were collected from the six rural townships surrounding the cement factory. The collected soil samples were analyzed for their chemical properties (CaO, Al2O3, Fe2O3, K2O, MgO, SO3 and SiO2) as well as their pH and Electric Conductivity. The results of the analysis showed that the dusts emitted by the cement plant are especially basic and contain a high free lime (43.03% CaO). The principal component analysis applied on the 41 superficial soil samples, allows deducting that the free lime and the sulfur oxide are the tracer elements of this form of pollution. Furthermore, the spatial projection of the factor scores of the principal component analysis using the geographical information system permits us to determine the spatial distribution of more polluted areas of soils as well as to estimate their impact at a zone of 2.5 km of beam around the factory.
Highlights
The cement dust that produced by cement manufacturing process is considered as one of the most hazardous pollutants, which affects the surrounding environment
A total of 41 soil samples were collected from the six rural townships surrounding the cement factory (Figure 2)
7.81 800 1235 10.343 48.44 13.08 6.8 2.63 2.93 0.12 marize the concentrations of chemical elements in cement dusts samples collected in the chimney of cement factory and raw materials samples collected in the extraction quarries of clay and limestone
Summary
The cement dust that produced by cement manufacturing process is considered as one of the most hazardous pollutants, which affects the surrounding environment. The deposit of the cement particles is complex and it is controlled by the atmospheric stability, the roughness of the surfaces as well as the diameter of the particles [2] These cement particles get deposited on top soil and vegetation as well as enter into the soil as dry, humid or occult deposits and can affect its physiochemical properties [3]. In eastern of Morocco, Holcim-Oujda cement factory is located in a rural area in the Oujda-Taourirt corridor and surrounded by seven rural districts whose residents are based their activities on agriculture. This cement factory emits annually enormous quantities of fine particles rich in ashes of coal and some free lime (CaO), accompanied with some gases and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) [7].
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