Metals In Soil Samples Research Articles

The effect of traffic on levels, distribution and chemical partitioning of harmful metals in the street dust and surface soil from urban areas of Tehran, Iran

Due to the explosive industrialization and rapid expansion of the population in many parts of the world, heavy metals are released into the environment continuously and pose a great risk on human health. Street dust and surface soil samples from very heavy, heavy, medium and low traffic areas and a natural site in Tehran, Iran, were analyzed for some physicochemical features, total and chemical fractionating of selected metals (Zn, Al, Sr, Pb, Cu, Cr, Cd, Co, Ni and V) to investigate the influence of traffic on their mobility and accumulation in the environment. The pH, electrical conductivity (EC), carbonates and organic carbon contents were similar in soil and dust samples from the areas with same traffic. The traffic increases EC contents in dust/soil matrixes, but has no effect on concentrations of metals in soil samples. Rises in metal levels with traffic were found in dust samples. Moreover, the traffic increases the percentage of both acid-soluble and reducible fractions, which are related to Pb and Zn. The mobilization of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr in dust samples was easier than in soil. The speciation of metals except Cd is mainly affected by physicochemical features in soil, though total metals affected the speciation in dust samples (except chromium and nickel).

Transversely Excited Atmospheric CO2 Laser-Induced Plasma Spectroscopy for the Detection of Heavy Metals in Soil

A rapid detection of heavy metals in soil was presented by the metal-assisted gas plasma method using specific characteristics of a pulsed, transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) CO2 laser. The soil particles were placed in a hole made of acrylic plate. The sample was covered by a to prevent the soil particles from being blown off. The mesh also functioned to initiate a luminous plasma. When a TEA CO2 laser (1500 mJ, 200 ns) was focused on the soil sample, passing through the metal mesh, some of the laser energy was used to generate the gas plasma on the mesh surface, and the remaining laser energy was employed to ablate the soil particles. The fine, ablated soil particles moved into the gas plasma region to be dissociated and excited. Using this technique, analysis can be made with reduced sample pretreatment, and therefore a rapid analysis can be performed efficiently. The results proved that the signal to noise ratio (S/N) of the emission spectral lines is much better for the case of the present method (mesh method) compared to the case of standard laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy using the pellet method. Rapid detection of heavy metal elements in soil has been successfully carried out. The detection limits of Cu and Hg in soil were estimated to be 3 and 10 mg/kg, respectively. The present method has good potential for rapid and sensitive detection of heavy metals in soil samples.

Microbial Load as Ecotoxicological Assessment of Heavy Metals Presence in Soil Samples from the Kazakhstan Part of the Caspian Sea

Soil as a natural resource and a powerful regulator of matter flow, plays crucial role in providing habitat for proper structuring and functioning soil microbial communities. Under the influence of unregulated industrial activities with social-economic co-development, soil and water involved a whole range of changes leading to soil erosion-degradation and pollution of aquatic ecosystems. One of the most promising techniques for determining the total effect of exposure to heavy metals on environmental media is bio-indication (bio-testing), which is based on rapid, robust and cost-effective methods. Acquaintance, with the microbial background of soil is essential to assess the degree of soil pollution with heavy metals. In this study, an eco-toxicological assessment using microbial community characteristics on heavy metals in soil samples from the urban ecosystems of the Kazakhstan part of the Caspian Sea (Atyrau and Mangystau regions) has been discussed. According to the results of the soil toxicity, it has been established that the soil of these residential areas are exposed to increased levels of heavy metals, such as Cr, Co, Ni, Pb, etc. Comparative analysis of bio-indicative systems and chemical techniques for assessing the quality of soils indicated a remarkable similarity of the results and the priority (high speed, cheapness) of the microbiological load assessment of the soil quality.

Radionuclides (40K, 232Th and 238U) and Heavy Metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb) Distribution Assessment at Renggam Landfill, Simpang Renggam, Johor, Malaysia

The assessment of radioactivity levels and the distribution of heavy metals in soil samples at CEP Farm landfill, Renggam in Johor State was to determine the activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides and heavy metal concentrations of this landfill. The background radiation was monitored to estimate the exposure level. The activity concentrations of radionuclides in soil samples were determined using HPGe gamma ray spectroscopy whereas the heavy metal concentration was measured using X-RF analysis. The mean exposure rate at the landfill site was 36.2±2.4 μR hr-1 and the annual effective dose rate at the landfill site was 3.19 ± 0.22 mSv yr-1. However, residential area has lower mean exposure dose rate of about 16.33±0.72 μR hr-1 and has an annual effective dose rate of 1.43±0.06 mSv yr-1 compared to landfill sites. The mean activity concentration of 40K, 238U and 232Th at landfill site were 239.95±15.89 Bq kg-1, 20.90±2.49 Bq kg-1 and 40.61±4.59 Bq kg-1, respectively. For heavy metal compositions, Cr, Ni and Cu have mean concentration of 232±10 ppm, 23±2 ppm, and 46±19 ppm, respectively. Whereas, Zn has concentration of 64±9 ppm and concentration of 12±1 ppm and 71±2 ppm was estimated for As and Pb respectively. The higher activity concentration of 40K down the slope through leaching process whereas the higher activity level of 238U content at the landfill site may be attributed to the soil disruption to local equilibrium.

Reduction of heavy metal from soil in Bakri Landfill, Muar, Johor by using Electrokinetic method

The present study focuses on the contamination levels and distribution of heavy metals in soil samples located at Bakri Landfill area, Muar, Johor, Malaysia. The aim of this study is to determine the type of heavy metal elements that contribute towards soil contamination and to reduce them based on the comparison of elemental analysis between pre and post Electrokinetic (EK) processes. The ppm level concentration of elements in this landfill soil is measured by using X-ray Fluorescence analysis. ICP-MS testing was carried out for liquid samples analysis. There were two set of EK experiments conducted. In first phase, voltage was maintained at 3 Vcm-1 and prolonged for 3 hours, while second phase was operated at 1 Vcm-1 for 48 hours. In this work, distilled water was used as an electrolyte for the process and two identical copper foil were used as electrodes due to high electrical conductivity. The application of EK remediation revealed that successful removal of Rb and Ba elements in the soil were observed by 2-3%, however other heavy metals have not changed.

Assessment of anthropogenic influence on the level of selected heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) in soil

The study aimed at assessing potential influence of anthropogenic activities on the level of selected toxic heavy metals in soil in Tsumeb Township, Namibia. This was with a view of evaluating possible implications on human health and across the food chain. Soil samples were randomly collected from stratified areas and taken to the laboratory for pre-treatment and analysis. Soil metallic contents were extracted using acid digestion technique and were quantified using ICP-OES. Experimental protocol was validated using the standard metal addition techniques and was found to be applicable with quantitative metallic recoveries (n= 3) in the range of 85-90%. The overall mean concentration of analysed metals in soil samples ranged from 39.0 - 2532.8 mg/kg (Cu); 59.5- 1994.8 mg/kg (Zn); 1.7-21.3 mg/kg (Cd) and 1.2-141 mg/kg (Pb) across SCP1-SCP4. The analysed metals increased variedly at the SCPs in the order Cu: SCP1>SCP2>SCP4>SCP3; Zn: SCP1>SCP2>SCP4> SCP3; Cd: SCP1>SCP2>SCP3>SCP4; Pb: SCP1>SCP2>SCP3>SCP4. Hence, highest or most profound anthropogenic influence was observed at SCP1 for all metals while the lowest was as SCP4. Strong metallic correlation (r > 0.99) was obtained between all analysed metals and some significant above threshold metallic levels in soil were obtained for Cu and Zn but most worrisome was the high level of Cd obtained in soil. Possible uptake of these metals by plants and transfer across the food chain is highly probable. Key words: Heavy metals, soil, human health, anthropogenic, ICP-OES, Namibia.

Assessment of heavy metal concentration in vegetables grown within fungicide treated Cocoa plantations in Akamkpa Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria and implications to human health

The study was carried out to investigate the concentrations of heavy metals in soil samples and edible vegetables (Heinsia crinita and Gnetum africana) grown within fungicide treated cocoa plantation in Akamkpa communities of Cross River State Nigeria. In each sampling community, the edible vegetables and soil samples were collected for the period of three months (March to May) and were replicated three times. The levels of heavy metals in soil and edible vegetable samples collected were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The concentrations of heavy metals in soil samples collected from fungicide treated coca plantations were higher than those recorded in the control location in all the sample locations. The concentrations of heavy metals in edible vegetables (Heinsia crinita and Gnetum africana) collected from fungicide treated cocoa plantations exceeded the maximum permissible limits values of heavy metals for edible vegetables. The soils and edible vegetables (Heinsia crinita and Gnetum africana) in the fungicide treated cocoa plantations in Akamkpa communities are contaminated by heavy metals and may pose serious adverse health effect to the consumers and the ecosystem.

Application of a mobile laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system to detect heavy metal elements in soil.

In this work, a mobile laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system has been successfully applied to in situ analysis of heavy metals in soil samples. The LIBS system had two working methods, which were a fixed measuring method and a handheld method. For the fixed measuring method, a simple sample pretreatment was needed to reduce the soil matrix effect generated by moisture and porosity. Experiments proved that this method could be used to semi-quantitatively detect heavy metals when combined with the traditional calibration curve method. The limits of detection for copper, lead, and zinc were all below 10 mg/kg, which satisfied the need of heavy metal detection in soil. Principal component analysis was used for soil classification, which helped to build appropriate calibration curves. On the basis of soil classification, accurate and rapid detection of heavy metals in soil is feasible. For the handheld method, spectrum intensity and stability decreased significantly compared with the fixed measuring method. However, by using the internal standard method, the stability of LIBS data was improved significantly to 6%. For soil samples with serious heavy-metal pollution, the measurement errors were less than 12%, which indicated that handheld LIBS was effective to monitor heavy-metal pollution in soil. The research results provide application support for rapid and on-site monitoring of heavy metals in soil.

Bioavailability and mobility of heavy metals in soil in vicinity of a coal mine from Huaibei, China

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the concentrations of Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in surface soil and corn cob samples collected from agricultural fields near a coal mine from Huaibei, China. Meanwhile, the mobility and availability of heavy metals in soil samples were evaluated by a modified three-step The European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure. The total concentrations of metals in soil pose no ecological threats to the local plants. Transfer factors of essential metals, Cu and Zn, as well as those of non-essential metal Pb, were higher than those of the remained metals. The results of BCR fractionation analysis revealed that the acid soluble, reducible and oxidizable fractions of the Mn, Pb and Zn were higher than those of the residual fraction, suggesting that these elements may be more bioavailable. The pH and organic matter contents of soil were significant parameters affecting speciation of metals in soil samples. Hierarchical cluster analysis indicated significant correlations between metal levels in corn grains and more available (acid soluble and reducible) fractions in soil, indicating that heavy metals in the first two fractions were more available for corn crops. The elevated mobility and bioavailability of Pb in soil are of great concern in the study area.

Mineral Composition of Wild and Cultivated Blueberries

The concentrations of 13 elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined in several samples of native (wild) naturally growing and cultivated blueberry fruits. The total metal contents after mineralization were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Reliability of the procedure was checked by the analysis of the certified reference materials Mixed Polish Herbs (INGT-MPH-2) and Leaves of Poplar (NCS DC 73350). In the fruits collected in the forest (wild blueberries), higher contents of Ca, Na, and Mg as well as Mn and Zn were observed. Similar levels of Cu, Cr, Fe, and Ni were detected in both wild-growing and cultivated plants. The significantly higher content of Fe and Cd in cultivated blueberries was connected with the content of these metals in soil samples collected from the same places. The metal extraction efficiency by hot water varied widely for the different blueberries (wild or cultivated) as well as their form (fresh or dried).

The Distribution of the Heavy Metals in Soil Sample Along Blue Nile During overflow Season

The research cared out to calculate the heavy metals deposition for the soil of the Blue Nile along the edges of two sides, starting from the Sudan Ethiopia border end to the Khartoum state in Tuti Island. The samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique. The results show that there is a significant difference for most of the concentration of the elements deposition on two sides of the Blue Nile outside of Nile channel for that area which covered by water after the overflow. Heavy metals Cr, Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn concentration deposition are increased in the direction of the water to Khartoum, while Ni and Pb concentrations are decreased in the same direction. K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Br, Rb, Sr, and Zr heavy metal concentrations are varied but in general remains equals.

Spectral analysis of flavonoids content of dandelion Taraxacum officinale W. and chicory usual Cichorium intybus L. depending on growing places

Article presents results of the identification of flavonoids by chromatographic method, dependence of content flavonoids on conditions of plant growth. Coefficients of technogenic concentrations of heavy metals in soil samples and intensity of migration of pollutants from soil to plants using biological absorption coefficient were established.

Investigation of selected metals in soil samples exposed to agricultural and automobile activities in Macedonia, Greece using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry

This study presents the results of selected metals in soils samples determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry from five sampling sites in the rural area of the town of Damiano, in Macedonia, Greece, and four sampling sites along the 60 mile distance from Damiano to the airport of the city of Thessaloniki in Macedonia, Greece. It also compares the impact of automobile traffic to the impact of agricultural activities, and investigates how the use of pesticides and fertilizers could impact the concentrations of particular metals in soils found in agricultural areas. Animal manure was found to contain high amounts of Zn and Cu which could have impacted these concentrations at site G6, which is believed to have been the site of Alexander the Great's stables. The Cu and Zn dry mass concentrations at site G6 were 62 and 103mg/kg (ppm) respectively, which were relatively higher than in other agricultural areas.

Heavy Metals Enrichment in Surface Soil from Abandoned Waste Disposal Sites in a Hot and Wet Tropical Area

High levels of heavy metals in the environment pose threat to the ecosystem, due to their deleterious effects on humans, animals and plants. The present study aims at determining the extent of pollution of heavy metals such as Fe, Pb, Cr, Zn, Co, Cu and Al in surface soil from Aboabo and Santasi abandoned landfill sites and examining the quality of the soil using pollution indices. In all, 30 soil samples were collected from two study sites and a control sample was also taken from KNUST Botanic Gardens. Concentration of heavy metals were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) after acid digestion. Analyses of the physicochemical parameters revealed that pH of soils from both study sites were slightly alkaline and the soils have a sandy loam texture. At such pH, precipitation of hydroxides and carbonate is induced, leading to limitation in metal mobility. Mean organic matter contents of soil samples were 8.67 ± 7.19 % at Aboabo site and 19.23 ± 4.80 % at Santasi site. High organic content can lead to cation adsorption and reduced metal bioavailability. The study further revealed that mean concentrations of all the heavy metals exceeded their respective levels in the control samples. Correlation analysis of metal concentrations indicated that Pb/Cu correlated at the Aboabo, whereas Cu/Zn, Fe/Pb and Cr/Co showed strong correlation in Santasi site. Heavy metals pollution was assessed using Igeo, contamination factor and PLI, and the results indicated elevated levels of all the metals in soil samples from both areas. Finally, the results indicate that pH and organic content are important barriers to metal distribution in the environment.

Environmental and Health Impact of Cement Factory Production in Ibese, Ogun state, Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of cement dust emitted from Dangote cement factory, Ibese, Ogun State, Nigeria on the environment and human health. Soil and plant samples were col-lected from six sampling points at different distances i.e. inside the factory kiln (IFK), the factory 300m), based on the prevailing wind direction. Control samples were taken opposite the wind direction at ILA(Ilaro) about 1,000 m. Cu, Zn, Mn, Pb, Ni and Cd were analyzed in the samples using atomic ab-sorption spectrophotometer. Air quality and noise levels were monitored using standard me-thods. Sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), total suspended particulate matter and noiseconcentrations ranged from 7-25ppm, 0.1-0.2ppm, 101-13,056ugm-3and 72.1-98.2dBrespec-tively,which were higher than USEPA standard. Heavy metals in soils were in the order of: MAR>IFK>AOK>IBE>ILA>TFG for Cu, AOK>MAR>IFK>TFG>ILA>IBE for Zn, IBE>IFK>MAR>AOK>TFG>ILA for Cd, IBE>AOK>MAR>TFG>IFK>ILA for Mn, IBE>AOK> TFG>MAR>ILA>IFK>IBE for Pband MAR>TFG>AOK>IBE>ILA>IFK for Ni. Health-related characteristics of the respondents also showed that 2.5% had allergies that hindered breathing, while 3.75% had difficulty in smelling. Health risk assessment showed that in-gestion is the major pathway of exposure to heavy metals in soil samples for both children andadults. Cd, Mn, Ni and Pb pose non-cancer risks to children, while only Cd and Mn pose non-cancer risks to adults. Ni and Pb pose the greatest cancer risk to children. In cassava leaves andtubers Pb was the only metal found to pose cancer risk in both children and adults.

Assessment of industrial contamination of agricultural soil adjacent to Sadat City, Egypt

Abstract Assessment of the environmental impact of El Sadat City, a Cairo satellite, known for its clustered enterprises, on the neighbourhood water supply El Manashi Tawfikia Canal was undertaken through soil analysis. A total of 20 agricultural soil samples were collected along the El Manashi Tawfikia Canal. Neutron activation analysis was implemented to determine heavy metal contents of such elements as As, Ba, Co, Cr, Ni, and Zn. Multivariate statistical analysis was applied to the results obtained. The metal pollution index and enrichment factor were calculated. It was shown that the content of toxic heavy metals in soil samples does not exceed the worldwide-published values, except arsenic which considerably exceeds normalized to the content of the same element in the Upper Continental Crust. The metal pollution index is high compared with the calculated ones for similar soil samples from the Nile Delta, and the enrichment factor varied from moderate to high enrichment (5 < EF > 10).

Determination of the activity level of gamma radionuclides -artificial 137Cs and for comparison -natural 40K and the selected heavy metals in the Tatra Mountains ecosystem.

<p>This paper presents the results of determination of artificial <sup>137 </sup>Cs and natural <sup>40</sup>K activity concentrations and same heavy metals in soil samples from Tatra Mts. Results show some differences in the vertical distribution and of examined radionuclides and metals. The change of activity of <sup>137</sup>Cs in the soil samples depends mostly on the soil volume density and on the concentration of organic material. The state of "zero" <sup>137</sup>Cs activity was developed in the form of maps.</p>

Levels of some heavy Metals in Cocoyam (<i>Colocasia esculentum</i>) grown on Soil receiving Effluent from a Paint Industry

The levels of some heavy metals in soil samples and tubers of cocoyam (Colocasia esculentum) grown on soil receiving paint wastes (PWS) has been investigated using Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer (Unicam 939/959 model). Similar analyses were carried out for the same plant from a control area. The studies revealed that although the P.W.S contained abnormally high levels of Pb (474.14mgkg-1) and Cu (137.85mgkg-1). The paint waste tuber (PWT) recorded low levels of these metals: Pb (2.13mgkg-1) and Cu (13.85mgkg-1) respectively. Correlation analysis tested at 0.05 level of significance show that no significant correlation existed between the metals levels in the soil and the level in the tuber. In all cases the levels of the metals in the tubers were well below the upper limit documented for unpolluted plant. The results however suggest the ineffectiveness of the use of Colocasia esculentum as a bioindicator for heavy metal pollution in soil. © JASEM

Fractionation of trace elements in agricultural soils using ultrasound assisted sequential extraction prior to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric determination

The main objectives of this study were to determine the concentration of fourteen trace elements and to investigate their distribution as well as a contamination levels in selected agricultural soils. An ultrasonic assisted sequential extraction procedure derived from three-step BCR method was used for fractionation of trace elements. The total concentration of trace elements in soil samples was obtained by total digestion method in soil samples with aqua regia. The results of the extractable fractions revealed that most of the target trace elements can be transferred to the human being through the food chain, thus leading to serious human health. Enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), risk assessment code (RAC) and individual contamination factors (ICF) were used to assess the environmental impacts of trace metals in soil samples. The EF revealed that Cd was enriched by 3.1–7.2 (except in Soil 1). The Igeo results showed that the soils in the study area was moderately contaminated with Fe, and heavily to extremely polluted with Cd. The soil samples from the unplanted field was found to have highest contamination factor for Cd and lowest for Pb. Soil 3 showed a high risk for Tl and Cd with RAC values of greater than or equal to 50%. In addition, Fe, Ni, Cu, V, As, Mo (except Soil 2), Sb and Pb posed low environmental risk. The modified BCR sequential extraction method provided more information about mobility and environmental implication of studied trace elements in the study area.

On-site detection of heavy metals in agriculture land by a disposable sensor based virtual instrument

A field-based detection system was designed and implemented for the simultaneous determination of heavy metals in soil samples. The detection principle is based on electrochemical differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). In order to fulfill the requirements of field screening usage, a fast soil pretreatment process using ultrasonic-assisted extraction was applied. A disposable and integrated sensor, incorporating a three-electrode configuration (working electrode, reference electrode and counter electrode), was fabricated by the screen-printing technology and further modified with Nafion polymer and bismuth film. Coupled with the portable and flexible analysis instrument which was developed by virtual instrument technology, this system was used for trace determination of cadmium and lead content in soil. For accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of heavy metals, the detection methodology based on the statistical algorithm and chemometrics method was proposed. The results showed that the system was sensitive, reliable and effective, which might hold great promise for its on-site analysis applications.