Article Sidebar

Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 1208 Download : 613

Main Article Content

Abstract

The increase in the number of heavy metal emitting sources in industrial areas is a serious issue in pollution science. Sohar Industrial Port (SIP) area is located in the northern part of Oman where different industrial activities like petrochemical production, metal processing, and waste disposal are prevalent. This study comprehensively identified the presence and quantities of heavy metals in the soils of Sohar Industrial Port area and traced their origin to geogenic or anthropogenic sources. Bulk geochemical and mineralogical analyses were carried out on all samples. Environmentally available and bioavailable heavy metals were extracted by diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) and were finally analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The environmentally available metals that showed higher concentrations when compared to international standards were Ni and Cd. The geochemical evidence showed a strong geochemical signature of the ophiolite rocks in the soils as indicated by the significant correlation between Cr and Ni (P< 0.05). In addition, the Cd content showed significant correlations with Ni and Cr (P< 0.05). Other metals like Pb and Zn, possibly also were geogenic in origin, but with significantly elevated concentrations in samples close to a national highway (P< 0.05). The present study demonstrated the significance of understanding the geological framework of an industrial area, which is already imposing high background concentrations of Cr, Ni and Cd, and also the possible anthropogenic impacts in the cases of Pb and Cd that exceeded internationally permissible limits.

Keywords

Heavy metals Spatial distribution Sohar Industrial Port Oman

Article Details

Author Biographies

Maha Al-Jabri, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 36, PC 123, Al-Khod, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Department of Biology

Daniel Moraetis, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 36, PC 123, Al-Khod, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Department of Earth Sciences

Reginald Victor, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 36, PC 123, Al-Khod, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Department of Biology

References

  1. Olveira, A. and Pampulha, M.E. 2006. Effects of long-term heavy metal contamination on soil microbial characteristics. Journal of bioscience and bioengineering, 102, 157-161.
  2. Yuan-Peng, W., Ji-Yan, S., Qi, L., Xin-Cai, C. and Ying-Xu, C. 2007. Heavy metal availability and impact on activity of soil microorganisms along a Cu/Zn contamination gradient. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 19, 848–853.
  3. Alam, S.S., Osman, K.T. and Kibria, M.G. 2012. Heavy metal pollution of soil from industrial and municipal wastes in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science, 58, 1427-1438.
  4. Soodan, R.K., Pakade, Y.B., Nagpal, A. and Katnoria, J.K. 2014. Analytical techniques for estimation of heavy metals in soil ecosystem: a tabulated review. Talanta, 125, 405-410.
  5. Al-Khashman, O.A. and Shawabkeh, R.A. 2009. Metal distribution in urban soil around steel industry beside Queen Alia Airport, Jordan. Environmental geochemistry and health, 31, 717-26.
  6. Ali, I.H. and Ateeg, A.A. 2015. Study of soil pollutants in Omdurman Industrial Area, Sudan, Using X-ray Fluorescence. International Journal of Environmental Research, 9, 291- 294.
  7. Li, X., Lee, S.-L., Wong, S.-C., Shi, W. and Thornton, I. 2004. The study of metal contamination in urban soils of Hong Kong using a GIS-based approach. Environmental pollution, 43, 129, 113-124.
  8. Chen, T., Liu, X., Li, X., Zhao, K., Zhang, J., Xu, J., Shi, J. and Dahlgren, R.A. 2009. Heavy metal sources identification and sampling uncertainty analysis in a field-scale vegetable soil of Hangzhou, China. Environmental pollution, 157, 1003-1010.
  9. Li, J., Lu, Y., Yin, W., Gan, H., Zhang, C., Deng, X. and Lian, J. 2009. Distribution of heavy metals in agricultural soils near a petrochemical complex in Guangzhou, China. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 153, 365-375.
  10. Al-Khashman, O.A. 2012. Assessment of Heavy Metal Accumulation in Urban Soil around Potash Industrial Site in the East of the Dead Sea and their Environmental Risks. Soil and Sediment Contamination, 21, 276-290.
  11. Li, X., Liu, L., Wang, Y., Luo, G., Chen, X., Yang, X., Hall, M. H. P., Guo, R., Wang, H., Cui, J. and He, X. 2013. Heavy metal contamination of urban soil in an old industrial city (Shenyang) in Northeast China. The Global Journal of Soil Science, 192, 50-58.
  12. Haciyakupoglu, S., Esen, A.N., Erenturk, S., Okka, M., Genceli, M., Mercimek, M., Genceli, E., Yusan, S., Filiz, F.G., OlgenL, K., Camtakan, Z., Kiziltas, S. and Tanbay, T. 2014. Determining distribution of 42 heavy metal pollution in terms of ecological risk levels in soil of industrially intensive areas around Istanbul. Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry, 97, 1-14.
  13. Li, Z., Ma, Z., Vanderkuijp, T.J., Yuan, Z. and Huang, L. 2014. A review of soil heavy metal pollution from mines in China: pollution and health risk assessment. The Science of the total environment, 468-469, 843-853.
  14. Alloway, B.J. 2013. Sources of heavy metals and metalloids in soils. Environmental pollution, 22, 11-45.
  15. Al-Rashdi, T.T. and Sulaiman, H. 2013. Bioconcentration of heavy metals in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) from farm soils around Sohar industrial area in Oman. Proceeding at 5th International Conference on Environmental Science and Development, UAE. Procedia APEBEE, 5, 271-278.
  16. Al-Suely, W.Z.I., Al-Kindi, A., Al-Saidi, S., Khan, T., Marikar, F.A. and Al-Busaidi, M. 2009. Heavy metals content on beach sediments north and south of Sohar industrial area, Oman. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2, 73-79.
  17. Kanda Nishiki-Cho and Chiyoda-Ku 1987. Geological map of Sohar sheet, NG, 40-14F-I scale 1:50,000. Directorate General of Minerals, Oman Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals, Muscat.
  18. Bouyoucos G.L. Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analysis of soils. Agronomy journal. 1962, 54, 464-465.
  19. Edgell, K. 1988. USEPA Method Study 37 - SW-846 Method 3050 Acid Digestion of Sediments, Sludges, and Soils. In: DEVELOPMENT, R.A. (ed.). US Environmental Protection Agency, Contract No. 68-03- 3254.
  20. Lindsay, W.L. and Norvell, W.A. Development of a DTPA soil test for zinc, iron, manganese, and copper. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 1978, 42, 421-428.
  21. Zhao, L., Xu, Y., Hou, H., Shangguan, Y. and Li, F. Source identification and health risk assessment of metals in urban soils around the Tanggu chemical industrial district, Tianjin, China. The Science of the total environment, 2014, 468-469.
  22. Velea, T., Gherghe, L., Predica, V. and Krebs, R. Heavy metal contamination in the vicinity of an industrial area near Bucharest. Environmental science and pollution research international, 2009, 16, S27-S32.
  23. Mtunzi, M.F. Evaluation of heavy metal pollution on soil in Vaderbijlpark, South Africa. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis, 2015, 3, 44-49.
  24. Chabukdhara, M. and Nema, A.K. Heavy metals assessment in urban soil around industrial clusters in Ghaziabad, India: probabilistic health risk approach. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 2013, 87, 57-64.
  25. Morrison, J.M., Goldhaber, M.B., Lee, L., Holloway, J.M., Wanty, R.B. A regional-scale study of chromium and nickel in soils of northern California, USA. Applied Geochemistry. 2009, 24, 1500–1511.
  26. Mills, C.T., Morrison, J.M., Goldhaber, M.B., Ellefsen, K.J. Chromium (VI) generation in vadose zone soils and alluvial sediments of the southwestern Sacramento Valley, California: a potential source of geogenic Cr (VI) to groundwater. Applied Geochemistry, 2011, 26(8), 1488-1501.
  27. Moraetis D. Nikolaidis N.P., Karatzas G.P, Dokou Z, Kalogerakis N., Winkel L. Palaiogianni-Bellou A. Origin and mobility of hexavalent chromium in North-Eastern Attica, Greece. Applied Geochemistry, 2012, 27, 1170-1178.
  28. Anyakora, C., Ehianeta, T. and Umukoro, O. Heavy metal levels in soil samples from highly industrialized Lagos environment. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2013, 7, 917-924.
  29. Yan, W., Mahmood, Q., Peng, D., Fu, W., Chen, T., Wang, Y., Li, S., Chen, J. and Liu, D. The spatial distribution pattern of heavy metals and risk assessment of moso bamboo forest soil around lead–zinc mine in Southeastern China. Soil and Tillage Research, 2015, 153, 120-130.
  30. Imperato, M. Spatial distribution of heavy metals in urban soils of Naples city (Italy). Environmental pollution, 2003, 124, 247-256.
  31. Bishimetal Exploration CO LTD.1992b. Geological map of Sur sheet, NF, 40-14F-I, scale 1:50,000. Directorate General of Minerals, Oman Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals, Muscat.