Distribution, speciation and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in Jinan Iron & Steel Group soils from China. (1st May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cui, Xiaowei; Geng, Yong; Sun, Ruirui; Xie, Meng; Feng, Xiuwei; Li, Xinxin; Cui, Zhaojie
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 295(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-05-01
• Subjects: Heavy metals -- Spatial distribution -- Temporal migration -- Speciation -- Risk assessment; Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126504
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: Heavy metal contamination in soil environment is of serious concern globally with the rapid industrial development. In order to investigate the environmental risks on soil, a comprehensive study on heavy metal pollution was conducted by using 16 topsoil samples (0–20 cm) and 12 layered soil samples (0–120 cm) from Jinan Iron & Steel Group. The results show that heavy metal with the highest concentration is Zn, followed by Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, As, Hg and Cd. The horizontal distribution pattern indicates that all metals in soil were derived from the anthropogenic activities such as coke/chemical processing and oxygen-making. The vertical distribution results show that these metals in topsoil exhibited significant accumulation. The pollution levels of metals are influenced by the temporal factor and decreased from December 2018 to April 2019. Fractionation analysis results show that Pb, Hg, Zn and Cu remained the main components in the residual fractions and their mobility potentials in soil decreased in the order of Pb > Hg > Zn > Cu. Assessment results of soil pollution level using the Nemerow composite, Geo-accumulation and Potential ecological risk indicators indicate that the studied area was contaminated with Pb (slightly), Cd (moderately) and Hg (strongly). This study helps identify the priority control components of polluted soils and provides valuable insights for decision makers to develop suitable mitigation strategies. Highlights: Enrichment of metals was found higher in the topsoil than the bottom soil. The pollution levels of metals increased from April to December 2019. Horizontal distribution predicted the pollution source is coke/chemical processing. The residual fraction dominated metal distribution in soils. Pb, Cd and Hg were the major pollutants according to the PN, Igeo and PERI indexes.