scholarly journals Heavy metal contamination and ecological risk assessment of the agricultural soil in Shanxi Province, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 200538
Author(s):  
Hongxue Qi ◽  
Bingqing Zhao ◽  
Lihong Li ◽  
Xiuling Chen ◽  
Jing An ◽  
...  

To assess contamination levels and ecological risks of heavy metals in agricultural soil from Shanxi Province of China, a total of 33 samples in the surface soil were collected from 11 cities in Shanxi. The soil samples were digested by a mixed acid of nitric acid and hydrofluoric acid on a microwave digestion system, then the levels of eight heavy metals were analysed using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The pollution levels of soil heavy metals were evaluated using a geo-accumulation index and their ecological risks were assessed using risk index calculated by Hakanson's method. As a result, the average concentrations of the heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn were 12.9 ± 4.8, 0.35 ± 0.23, 43 ± 14, 27 ± 19, 0.25 ± 0.14, 21.7 ± 5.7, 17 ± 13 and 89 ± 53 mg kg −1 , respectively. By comparison to the Chinese soil environmental quality (GB15618-2018), only 9% of Cd samples and 3% of Cu samples exceeded their corresponding screening criteria. Subsequently, the results of geo-accumulation indices suggested that Shanxi's soil suffered from moderate to heavy contamination posed by Cd and Hg, and risk indices exhibited a similar trend that Cd and Hg were the main contributors for considerable to very high ecological risk. Finally, the analysis of variance indicated that the mean levels of Cd significantly occurred at Yuncheng areas among the 11 cities ( n = 3, p < 0.05), but Hg concentrations did not have significantly statistical differences. This study demonstrated that metals Cd and Hg had higher levels and ecological risks for agricultural soil in Shanxi, especially, Yuncheng City suffered from heavy Cd contamination. The findings of the present study will provide basic information on management and control of the agricultural soil contamination in Shanxi Province, China.

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 800
Author(s):  
Cong Xu ◽  
Jie Pu ◽  
Bo Wen ◽  
Min Xia

The agricultural soil alongside highways has experienced multiple potential ecological risks from human activities. In this study, 100 soil samples near the highways were collected in Lishui District, Nanjing City. Using the single-factor pollution index, the Nemerow comprehensive pollution index, and the potential ecological risk index, the study investigated the heavy metal contents and distribution in roadside agricultural soil. PCA and a multiple regression model were applied to quantitatively analyze the spatial relationships between sampling soil heavy metal accumulation and the surrounding man-made landscape. The mean contents of Cu and Pb exceeded the background, while Cd, Cr, and Zn were lower than that. The potential ecological risk index exhibited a very low ecological hazard and only Cr in soils rarely showed moderate risk. Furthermore, quantitative analysis for the sources of contamination revealed that agricultural practices were the dominant contributors to the heavy metals, including Cd, Cu, and Zn, while road and heavy industrial practices contributed to Cr and Pb. The study provides sources of heavy metal pollution from human activities in roadside agricultural land and serves as a reference for ecological restoration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongping Liu ◽  
Jian Wang ◽  
Huibin Yu ◽  
Hongjie Gao ◽  
Weining Xu

Abstract Background Heavy metal pollution of aquatic systems is a global issue that has received considerable attention. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and potential ecological risk index (PERI) have been applied to heavy metal data to trace potential factors, identify regional differences, and evaluate ecological risks. Sediment cores of 200 cm in depth were taken using a drilling platform at 10 sampling sites along the Xihe River, an urban river located in western Shenyang City, China. Then they were divided into 10 layers (20 cm each layer). The concentrations of the As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn were measured for each layer. Eight heavy metals, namely Pb, Zn, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Hg, were measured for each layer in this study. Results The average concentrations of the As, Cd, Cu, Hg, and Zn were significantly higher than their background values in soils in the region, and mainly gathered at 0–120 cm in depth in the upstream, 0–60 cm in the midstream, and 0–20 cm downstream. This indicated that these heavy metals were derived from the upstream areas where a large quantity of effluents from the wastewater treatment plants enter the river. Ni, Pb, and Cr were close or slightly higher than their background values. The decreasing order of the average concentration of Cd was upstream > midstream > downstream, so were Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn. The highest concentration of As was midstream, followed by upstream and then downstream, which was different to Cd. The potential factors of heavy metal pollution were Cd, Cu, Hg, Zn, and As, especially Cd and Hg with the high ecological risks. The ecological risk levels of all heavy metals were much higher in the upstream than the midstream and downstream. Conclusions Industrial discharge was the dominant source for eight heavy metals in the surveyed area, and rural domestic sewage has a stronger influence on the Hg pollution than industrial pollutants. These findings indicate that effective management strategies for sewage discharge should be developed to protect the environmental quality of urban rivers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2E) ◽  
pp. 36-61
Author(s):  
Ahmed Al-Obeidi

Soil pollution adversely affects the safety and health of the human being. The main objective of the study is to determine the concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn) in surface soil in Al-Hawija, southwestern Kirkuk. Twenty-one samples were collected and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to measure the content of heavy metals and assess the soil pollution by using the contamination factor, degree of contamination, geoaccumulation index, pollution load index and ecological risk index (RI). The results indicate that there is high pollution by lead, chromium and copper (78.8, 87.4 and 53.8 mg/kg) respectively, in industrial areas due to anthropogenic sources with the presence of significant ecological risk (Er) of the lead (116) in site S7, due to its high concentrations, while size fraction analysis indicated that all heavy metals are concentrated in the fine parts as a result of adsorption processes by clay minerals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-117
Author(s):  
Nagaiah Pooveneswary ◽  
Ahmad Farid Bin Abu Bakar ◽  
Bong Chui Wei ◽  
Choon Weng Lee ◽  
Wang Ai Jun ◽  
...  

Abstract A study on contamination status and ecological risk of heavy metals in surface sediment at selected sites on Kelantan River and its nearshore area was carried out. Ten samples along Kelantan River and 25 samples from the nearshore were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) to determine heavy metal concentrations. Sediment samples were also analyzed for particle size compositions, total organic matter and pH content. The average concentrations for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn were 7.38, 1.31, 17.71, 11.40, 507.15, 5.97, 22.61, 32.95 mg/kg for riverine and 14.14, 4.59, 29.79, 14.07, 389.96, 9.65, 62.21, 41.04 mg/kg for nearshore samples respectively. The potential ecological risk index showed stations Bekok, Manek Urai, and RH under considerable risk followed by station Pasir Mas under moderate risk. The pollution load index classified four nearshore sites (KW10, KW17, KW18, KW37) as polluted. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) categorized moderate contamination for Cd and Pb. The enrichment factor (EF) along the river categorized extremely high enrichment for Cd, and significant enrichment for As, Pb and Mn while Pb and As were under very high and significant enrichment in nearshore areas. Pb, Cu, Zn, As, Ni and Cr showed significant correlations with each other.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Upoma Mahmud ◽  
Md. Tareq Bin Salam ◽  
Abu Shamim Khan ◽  
Md. Mizanur Rahman

AbstractHigher accumulation of heavy metals in food grains is one of the leading problems for carcinogenic effects in the body. That’s why; scientists have taken this problem as a potential indicator for ensuring safe food. The present study was carried out to assess the ecological risk of heavy metals such as nickel, copper, arsenic, lead, and manganese in agricultural soil and transfer status to rice grain. Soil samples were collected from four agricultural fields at different times in the Dumuria Upazila under Khulna district in Bangladesh. Heavy metal concentration in soil extracts, irrigation water samples, and grain samples was determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Average metal concentrations in soil were calculated and compared with the reference value in soil. In most cases, heavy metals in agricultural soil (Ni: 61.73–94.52 mg/kg; Cu: 23.33–37.5 mg/kg; As: 7.53–19.63 mg/kg; Pb: 15.17–29.19 mg/kg; Mn: 322.98–478.45 mg/kg) were greater than the reference soil (Ni: 13.08–24.55 mg/kg; Cu: 10.35–13.28 mg/kg; As: 1.87–4.61 mg/kg; Pb: 4.88–8.27 mg/kg; Mn: 52.17–74.3 mg/kg). Overall risk index stated that the examined soils were at moderate risk of contamination. Transfer Factor of arsenic (0.018–0.032 mg/kg) and manganese (0.059–0.155 mg/kg) was higher from soil to rice grain. On the other hand, transfer factor of lead was found negligible that is a good sign of improvement. The findings of the study will be good documentation for planning, risk assessment, and decision-making by environmental managers in this region.


Author(s):  
A. J. Anifowose

Heavy metals which are released to the soil are found to be deleterious to environment and biota. Such soil quality, particularly in residential proximities, must be assessed periodically. This study investigated nine (9) heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Cd, Fe, Cr, Zn, As, Mn, Ni) in the surface soil of an agrarian land for Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, with a view to establishing their potential threat. They were measured in twenty (20) composite soil samples of the site by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the average concentrations of Cu (6.5 mg/kg), Pb (5.4 mg/kg), Fe (5831 mg/kg), Cr (22 mg/kg), Zn (14.8 mg/kg), As (1.4 mg/kg), Mn (575 mg/kg), Ni (2.6 mg/kg) were within the permissible range and posed no ecological risk. However, Cd ranging 0.1–1.3 mg/kg (average, 0.6 mg/kg) moderately posed ecological risk due to its positive geo-accumulation index and constituted 86.5% of risk index of all the metals. Applications of agrochemicals, fertilizers in the previous agricultural activities could be the primary sources of the elevated concentration of Cd measured in the soil. The overall pollution assessment of the surface soil indicated moderate pollution of the site soil by the heavy metals.


2011 ◽  
Vol 356-360 ◽  
pp. 630-635
Author(s):  
Lei Gu ◽  
Bo Song ◽  
Zhi Qi Tong ◽  
Jian Hua Ma

Wanliu and Xiaowangzhuang transects which operated in 1994 and 2001 respectively along Zhengzhou-Shangqiu section on Lianyungang-Horgas highway were chosen to investigate heavy metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Cr) pollution and potential ecological risks of roadside soils. Concentrations of soil heavy metals on Wanliu transect were higher than that on Xiaowangzhuang transect. The content of soil heavy metals increases with the distance away from highway, reaching a maximum value, and then decreases gradually. Potential ecological risks of the soil metals are at moderate level on Wanliu transect, while slight level on the other transect. Concentrations of most soil heavy metals and their potential ecological risks present skewness distribution with the distance form highway roadbed. The highest risk indexes (RI) for different metals on Wanliu transect are among 50 ~100 m from highway roadbed, farther than that on Xiaowangzhuang transect at 35 m. Most of the soil samples on northern side of the highway show higher metal concentrations and potential ecological risks than that on southern side. The total risk index was contributed by the heavy metal of Cd (averagely 61.39%), which is the main factor of potential ecological risks. The grade standards for different ecological risk levels must be modified according to types and amount of pollutants studied and their toxic-response factors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 651-653 ◽  
pp. 1402-1409
Author(s):  
Gui Ping Xu ◽  
Xiao Fei Wang ◽  
Li Jun Chen

Concentrations of heavy metals in sugarcane soil of Guangxi were determined and the potential ecological risk index was used simultaneously to evaluate the extent of heavy metals enrichment contamination. Results showed that the pollution extent of heavy metals in sugarcane soil by potential ecological risk followed the order: Cd>Pb>Cu>Zn, Cu and Zn were slightly polluted, with small potential ecological harm, while Pb and Cd were above moderately polluted, with heavy potential ecological harm. Principal component analysis was applied to estimate the sources of heavy metals contamination, the results indicated that the first two components accounted for 61.016% and 26.920% of the total variance respectively, 4 kinds of heavy metal elements had similar sources, tailing dam lead-zinc concentrator upstream along the coast was the main sources of heavy metal contamination.


2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 3156-3161 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. I. Kabir ◽  
H. Lee ◽  
G. Kim ◽  
T. Jun

Topsoils, mainly from crop fields, orchards, forests, and barns around the Pyeongchang River, were collected to investigate their heavy metal concentrations. Pollution load index, ecological risk index, and enrichment factor were applied to assess levels of heavy metal contamination for topsoils. The concentrations of cadmium (Cd) (1.7 mg/kg) and chromium (Cr) (4.1 mg/kg) exceeded the troublesome level in one site, whereas zinc (Zn) (396.7 to 711.1 mg/kg) and nickel (Ni) (40.1 to 95.3 mg/kg) in several topsoils exceeded the troublesome to countermeasure levels, according to soil contamination standards for the study areas. A significant risk of contamination was observed for mercury (Hg) by all indices, although the concentration in most of the topsoils was below the guideline. As expected, a positive linear correlation was observed for the values of pollution load index and ecological risk index, demonstrating lower heavy metal contamination in upstream areas compared to those downstream. High to extremely high ecological risk was observed in several samples for Zn and Ni, while all of the soils were unpolluted to slightly polluted, according to the pollution load index. A baseline study was not performed earlier for these sites, so these assessed values of heavy metals should be used as reference values for further assessment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalimur Rahman ◽  
Saurav Barua ◽  
Fahim Ahammad ◽  
Md. Akramul Alam

The Shitalakya River, located near Dhaka City of Bangladesh, supplies water to the city dwellers and hence it is essential to determine pollu-tion condition, ecological risk and sources of heavy metals in the river sediments. Sediment works as the sink and source of heavy metals in the riverine ecosystem. The samples collected from the ten sites of the Shitalakhya River were investigated in the study. Average concentra-tion of different heavy metals in the sediments are Cu>Zn>Ni>Pb>Cr>Cd. Geo-accumulation index reveals moderately pollute Cu concen-tration, unpolluted to moderately pollute Ni concentration and unpolluted for the rest of the heavy metals. The order of geo-accumulation index are Cu>Ni>Pb>Cd>Zn>Cr. Overall, the heavy metals render low potential ecological risk and the order of potential ecological risk index are Cd>Cu>Ni>Pb>Cr>Zn. Though the concentration of Cd is low in sediment, it poses higher ecological risk. Positive matrix factor-ization (PMF) identifies two sources of pollution, S1 and S2. Where, S1 consists with Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn; which come from industrial wastewater. S2 consists with Cr, Cd, Pb, Zn; which originate from natural sources. The outcomes of the study provide as a reference to plan, control and manage heavy metal pollution and protect the water source of the Shitalakhya River.    


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