Levels and speciation of heavy metals in soils of industrial Southern Nigeria

A knowledge of the total content of trace metals is not enoughto fully assess the environmental impact of polluted soils. Forthis reason, the determination of metal species in solution isimportant to evaluate their behaviour in the environment andtheir mobilization capacity. Sequential extraction procedure wasused to speciate five heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Zn) fromfour contaminated soils of Southern Nigeria into sixoperationally defined geochemical species: water soluble,enchangeable, carbonates, Fe-Mn oxide, organic and residual.Metal recoveries were within ± 10% of the independentlydetermined total Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Zn concentrations. The highest amount of Cd (avg. 30%) in the nonresidual fractionswas found in the exchangeable fraction, while Cu and Zn weresignificantly associated with the organic fraction. Thecarbonate fraction contained on average 14, 18.6, 12.6, 13 and11% and the residual fraction contained on average 47, 18, 33,50 and 25% of Cd, Pb, Cu, Ni and Zn respectively. Assuming thatmobility and bioavailability of these metals are related to thesolubility of the geochemical form of the metals, and that theydecrease in the order of extraction sequence, the apparentmobility and potential bioavailability for these five metals inthe soil were: Pb > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cd. The mobility indexes ofcopper and nickel correlated positively and significantly withthe total content of metals, while mobility indexes of cadmiumand zinc correlated negatively and significantly with the totalcontent of metals.     

水稻重金属含量与土壤质量的关系

根据“淮安市绿色食品基地调查以及相关研究”课题资料 ,分析了水稻中重金属含量与其土壤质量的关系。结果表明 ,重金属含量在水稻中的分布是 :根 >茎叶 >籽粒 ;水稻籽粒对重金属的吸收特点因其元素不同而差异较大 ,重金属元素被水稻糙米吸收的程度为 :砷 <镉 <汞 <铅 <锰 <铬 <铜 <锌 ;在糙米中检出的重金属铜和铬的含量与土壤中铜和铬的含量呈显著性相关关系 ,铅、锌、锰的含量与土壤中铅、锌、锰的含量相关关系不显著     

Recycling of complexometric extractants to remediate a soil contaminated with heavy metals

Equilibrations were performed with complexing reagent(s) to mobilise Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn from a contaminated urban soil. The metal-laden aqueous extract was treated with zero-valent magnesium (Mg0) or bimetallic mixture (Pd0/Mg0 or Ag0/Mg0) to precipitate the heavy metals from solution while liberating the chelating reagent(s). Post precipitation, the pH of aqueous supernatant fraction was readjusted to approximately 5 and the solution was re-combined with the soil particulates to extract more heavy metal pollutants. A sparing quantity of EDTA (10 mmoles) mobilised 32-54% of the 5 mmoles of heavy-metals from the soil with three cycles but only 0.1% of the iron was removed. Three successive extractions with a mixture of complexing reagents (3 mmoles), 1:1 EDTA plus HEDC [bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-dithiocarbamate], mobilised approximately 49% of the Pb, approximately 18% of the Zn and approximately 19% of the Mn burden but only 7% of the Cu, and 1% of the Fe from this soil. An appreciable fraction of the mobilised Pb and Cu and a portion of the Zn was cemented to the surfaces of the excess magnesium whereas virtually all of the Fe and Mn was removed from solution as insoluble hydroxides.     

湖南省某冶炼厂周边农田土壤重金属污染及生态风险评价

利用野外采样与实验室分析相结合的方法,以湖南省某冶炼厂周边农田土壤(0~20 cm)为研究对象,监测了Cd、As、Pb、Cr、Cu、Zn、Hg等7种重金属的含量,并对重金属污染程度与潜在生态风险进行了评价。结果表明,7种重金属都存在不同程度的超标或污染,其中Cd、As、Pb等的污染较为严重。统计学分析结果表明,Pb、As、Hg、Zn、Cd等来源相同,可能主要都来自于人为污染,即冶炼作业造成的污染。7种重金属化学形态不尽相同:在重金属有效态中,Cd的水溶态和可提取态较高;Pb、Cu、Zn可还原态、可氧化态这两部分含量较高。而Hg、As、Cr的残渣态含量较高。风险评价代码评价结果表明,Cd的生态风险较高,4.5%的样点Cd为极高生态风险,52.8%的样点Cd为高生态风险,42.7%的样点Cd为中度生态风险;100%的样点Zn为中度生态风险;Cu有60.1%的样点属于低生态风险,39.9%的样点属于中度生态风险;As、Pb主要以低生态风险为主(所占比例分别为77.2%、80%);Hg主要以无生态风险为主(所占94.3%)。Hakanson潜在生态风险指数法计算的综合潜在生态风险指数(RI)的范围为46.4~1 627.5,表明研究区域农田土壤存在很高的生态风险。上述各项结果综合表明,研究区农田土壤受到了严重的重金属污染,由此引起的重金属生态风险应引起高度关注。     

大冶龙角山地区土壤中重金属污染现状与评价

为了研究大冶龙角山地区尾砂坝内尾砂排放对下游耕地土壤中重金属含量的影响，本文对尾矿坝及河流两岸的耕地进行布点采样，通过等离子体发射光谱仪（ICP—OES）测定土壤中A5、Cd、Cr、Cu、Pb、Zn6种重金属的含量，并用污染指数法进行分析评价。旨在调查研究的基础上，使人们认识当地重金属污染的严重性，加大环境保护力度。     

Heavy Metal Availability in Soil Amended with Composted Urban Solid Wastes

A study was performed to evaluate the pH and the availability of Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Ni in soil amended with increasing doses of composted solid wastes, collected in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State and in Coimbra, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The influence of the time elapsed between compost application to the soil and the sampling of the plant growth substrate (soil + compost) for pH and metal availability analyses was also examined. The availability of heavy metals in the soil, in the compost and in the substrate was evaluated using DTPA solution for metal extraction. The increase of the compost doses added to the soil resulted in the increase of the pH in the substrate. The addition of the compost from the bigger city, Rio de Janeiro, resulted in higher increase in soil pH and available Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni levels as compared to the addition of the compost from the smaller city, Coimbra. Increasing the time elapsed between the compost application to the soil and the sampling of the mixture resulted in higher available Zn, Cu, Mn, and Pb levels. The addition of the compost from Rio de Janeiro resulted in substrate metal concentrations in the order Zn > Pb > Ni > Cu > Mn and for the Coimbra compost the metal concentrations in the substrate was Zn > Pb > Cu > Ni > Mn. The higher values of pH and available metals obtained for the bigger city were attributed to the greatest metal contamination of its compost.     

Ecotoxicological Assessment of the Impact of Residual Heavy Metals on Soil Nematodes in the Guadiamar River Basin (Southern Spain)

On 25 April 1998, as a consequence of the breaking of a dam containing the tailings of a pyrite mine, a land strip of approximately 43 km in length was covered with a layer of black sludge, containing high levels of heavy metals, along the Guadiamar River Basin (southern Spain). In this investigation we carried out an ecotoxicological assessment (field and laboratory studies) of the impact of residual heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni) on soil nematodes in the impacted riparian zone, two years after the huge mine spillage. Concentrations of residual heavy metals were significantly (P<0.05) higher at the impacted sampling sectors (S-2, S-3, S-4, S-5) than at the unpolluted (reference) sampling sector (S-1). Nickel however exhibited the lowest increases at the impacted sectors. As a consequence, correlation coefficients between concentrations of heavy metals and values of ecological indices were not significant for Ni. In contrast, copper, lead and zinc exhibited significant (P<0.05) negative correlation coefficients with ecological indices, particularly with diversity indices (including the~number of taxa). In addition, the toxicity of Cu and Pb to nematode test species (Aphelenchus avenae and Cephalobus persegnis) during short-term toxicity bioassays was much higher than the toxicity of Zn and Ni. We conclude that residual heavy metals were still influencing adversely the community of soil nematodes in the impacted riparian zone of the Guadiamar River Basin. Cu, Pb and, to a lesser extent, Zn would be major responsible for the observed impact.     

徽县铅锌冶炼区土壤中重金属的空间分布特征

采集甘肃省徽县铅锌冶炼区域土壤样品,分析该区域内重金属污染分布规律及污染特征。结果表明,表层土壤中Pb、Cd、Cu、Zn的平均含量分别为214、3.12、25.8、79.5 mg/kg。研究区域内重金属的分布特征显示,污染浓度由冶炼厂中心向四周递减。纵向0~30 cm范围内重金属含量逐渐降低,大部分重金属污染物集中在土壤表层的0~20 cm区域,其中0~2 cm区域内含量较高,Pb和Cd的最高含量分别达到3 877、24.8 mg/kg,与国家土壤环境质量二级标准(p H 6.5~7.5)(GB 15618—1995)相比,分别超标13、82倍,属于重度污染。重金属元素的分布与土壤有机碳含量及p H相关。冶炼厂周围的重金属污染应引起有关部门的高度重视,严格控制污染源,尽快采取措施以防止污染范围进一步扩大。     

Heavy metal binding fractions in the sediments of the Godavari estuary,East Coast of India

Sequential chemical extraction was used to study the operationally determined chemical forms of five heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Co and Ni) and their spatial distribution in the sediments. The binding behaviour of heavy metals associating with Fe–Mn oxides showed a good correlation towards Cu, Zn and Co, but moderate linear dependence with Ni and Pb. Among the five metals, correlation between Fe–Mn oxide bound Cu and Fe–Mn oxides (r = 0.95) is highest. The coefficient of determination (r ²) in organically bound heavy metals versus organic matter (OM) ranges from 0.772 to 0.952, which indicates a good linear dependence. The OM fraction in the sediments is more accessible to heavy metals and is the major ligand available for complexation. In particular, Zn and Cu are preferentially bound to OM. In general, Zn co-precipitation with carbonates is the dominant chemical form when Fe–Mn oxide and OM are less abundant. In this study, however, carbonates were less abundant, hence Zn bound to carbonates was less pronounced. Based on the results, even if the excessive binding sites are contained in the sediments, competition of various complexation reactions between sediment phases and heavy metals could dominate metal association.     

Vertical distribution of heavy metals in soil profile in a seasonally waterlogging agriculture field in Eastern Ganges Basin

The accumulation of heavy metals in soil and water is a serious concern due to their persistence and toxicity. This study investigated the vertical distribution of heavy metals, possible sources and their relation with soil texture in a soil profile from seasonally waterlogged agriculture fields of Eastern Ganges basin. Fifteen samples were collected at ～0.90-m interval during drilling of 13.11 mbgl and analysed for physical parameters (moisture content and grain size parameters: sand, silt, clay ratio) and heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Ni and Cd). The average metal content was in the decreasing order of Fe?>?Mn?>?Cr?>?Zn?>?Ni?>?Cu?>?Co?>?Pb?>?Cd. Vertical distribution of Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni shows more or less similar trends, and clay zone records high concentration of heavy metals. The enrichment of heavy metals in clay zone with alkaline pH strongly implies that the heavy metal distributions in the study site are effectively regulated by soil texture and reductive dissolution of Fe and Mn oxy-hydroxides. Correlation coefficient analysis indicates that most of the metals correlate with Fe, Mn and soil texture (clay and silt). Soil quality assessment was carried out using geoaccumulation index (I _geo), enrichment factor (EF) and contamination factor (CF). The enrichment factor values were ranged between 0.66 (Mn) and 2.34 (Co) for the studied metals, and the contamination factor values varied between 0.79 (Mn) and 2.55 (Co). Results suggest that the elements such as Cu and Co are categorized as moderate to moderately severe contamination, which are further confirmed by I _geo values (0.69 for Cu and 0.78 for Co). The concentration of Ni exceeded the effects-range median values, and the biological adverse effect of this metal is 87 %. The average concentration of heavy metals was compared with published data such as concentration of heavy metals in Ganga River sediments, Ganga Delta sediments and upper continental crust (UCC), which apparently revealed that heavy metals such as Fe, Mn, Cr, Pb, Zn and Cd are influenced by the dynamic nature of flood plain deposits. Agricultural practice and domestic sewage are also influenced on the heavy metal content in the study area.