search
for
 About Bioline  All Journals  Testimonials  Membership  News


International Journal of Environment Science and Technology
Center for Environment and Energy Research and Studies (CEERS)
ISSN: 1735-1472
EISSN: 1735-1472
Vol. 7, No. 2, 2010, pp. 347-358
Bioline Code: st10034
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge

International Journal of Environment Science and Technology, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2010, pp. 347-358

 en Assessment of heavy metal pollution in soil and their implications within and around mechanic villages
Nwachukwu, M. A.; Feng, H. & Alinnor, J.

Abstract

Analysis of nine composite soil samples, each made of three replicate core samples and their respective background samples collected from Okigwe, Nekede and Orji automobile mechanic villages were conducted. Metal concentrations (mg/kg) above the background levels in the top 100 cm soil profile ranges as follows: 748-70,606 (± 10114.3) for iron; 99-1090 ± 251.3 for lead; 186-600 ± 180 for manganese; 102-1001± 201.9 for copper; 8-23 ± 12.9 for cadmium; 4-27 ± 6.0 for chromium; and 3-10 ± 2.2 for nickel. The order of abundance is: iron > lead > manganese > copper > cadmium > chromium > nickel, with Okigwe > Nekede > Orji. Pollution indexes show that the metals have similar pollution trends in the three layers (L1-L3), with L1 (0-10 cm) > L2 (10-20 cm) > L3 (90-100 cm) in Okigwe, L3 >L1>L2 in Nekede, and L3 >L2 >L1 in Orji. In effect, the shaly Okigwe soil is more polluted in the top layer while the sandy Nekede and Orji are more polluted in the lower layers. Despite this order, metal bioavailability may be less in the Okigwe soil due to its high clay-silt content (47 %-64 %). Pollution factor for Okigwe is 0.8, Nekede is 0.7 and Orji is 0.5. Nekede is under severe to excessive pollution while Orji and Okigwe are under moderate to excessive pollution, with weathered depths 7.4m at Orji and Nekede and 4m at Okigwe as most implicated in the pollution process. Above provides the bases for introducing the innovative concepts of environmentally friendly mechanic village.

Keywords
Automobile wastes; Environmentally friendly mechanic village; Pollution factor; Pollution index

 
© Copyright 2010 - Center for Environment and Energy Research and Studies (CEERS)
Alternative site location: http://www.ijest.org

Home Faq Resources Email Bioline
© Bioline International, 1989 - 2024, Site last up-dated on 01-Sep-2022.
Site created and maintained by the Reference Center on Environmental Information, CRIA, Brazil
System hosted by the Google Cloud Platform, GCP, Brazil