Figure 1 - uploaded by Bing Yang
Content may be subject to copyright.
Source publication
A total of 455 agricultural soil samples from four nonferrous mines/smelting sites in Shaoguan City, China, were investigated for concentrations of 10 heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn). The mean concentrations of the metals were 72.4, 5.16, 13.3, 54.8, 84.5, 1.52, 425, 28.2, 529, and 722 mg kg−1, respectively. The values for...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... past few decades have seen the rapid emergence of various contaminants, such as heavy metals (Adriano, 2001; Lu et al ., 2012). Heavy metals pose great risks to the environment and human health, especially once they concentrate in agricultural soils (Türkdo gan et al ., 2003). The inputs are largely linked to natural processing and/or anthropogenic activities (Rodrıguez-Martin et al ., 2006). Anthropogenic activities, such as mining, smelting, and the abuse of pesticides, are major contributors to the heavy metal pollution found in agricultural soils of China (e.g., Wong et al. , 2002; Cai et al ., 2012). Metals can be transferred from soil to ecosystem components (Huang et al ., 2007; Xu, 2001). In particular, bioaccumulation in the edible parts of crops is one of the most relevant for human health (Hani and Pazira, 2011; Khan et al ., 2008). Consequently, investigations into the levels of heavy metals in agricultural soils deserve more attention in order to provide a benchmark for monitoring and assessing soil pollution by heavy metals (Fu and Wei, 2013; Zhang et al ., 2008). Surveys of heavy metals in agricultural soils have been extensively performed in China in the past few decades, including in Beijing (Huo et al ., 2009), Dongguan (Cai et al ., 2010), Shanghai (Meng et al ., 2008), Huizhou (Cai et al ., 2012). These surveys have found considerable pollution by heavy metals in agricultural soils, especially in some areas near urbanized and industrialized zones and wastewater irrigation regions. However, most of these studies are specifically focused on local areas. Shaoguan City is a representative area of mining activities in northern Guangdong Province, China (Yang et al ., 2003). This area is mainly engaged in mining and smelting, including at the Fankou Pb/Zn Mine, Lechang Pb/Zn Mine, Shaoguan Metallurgical Refinery, and Dabaoshan Mining Group (Figure 1). Previous studies report high levels of heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, and zinc, in soils of this area (Shu et al ., 2004; Yang et al ., 2003). In particular, mean reported concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd are 1490, 1420, 680, and 13.6 mg kg − 1 , respectively, in agricultural soils which received Pb/Zn mining wastewater for more than 50 years (Yang et al ., 2003). Moreover, a similar type of metal pollution has been found around the Fankou and Lechang Pb/Zn Mines (Figure 1), two sub-regions of Shaoguan City (Yang et al ., 2010). These observations actually reveal ...
Context 2
... past few decades have seen the rapid emergence of various contaminants, such as heavy metals (Adriano, 2001; Lu et al ., 2012). Heavy metals pose great risks to the environment and human health, especially once they concentrate in agricultural soils (Türkdo gan et al ., 2003). The inputs are largely linked to natural processing and/or anthropogenic activities (Rodrıguez-Martin et al ., 2006). Anthropogenic activities, such as mining, smelting, and the abuse of pesticides, are major contributors to the heavy metal pollution found in agricultural soils of China (e.g., Wong et al. , 2002; Cai et al ., 2012). Metals can be transferred from soil to ecosystem components (Huang et al ., 2007; Xu, 2001). In particular, bioaccumulation in the edible parts of crops is one of the most relevant for human health (Hani and Pazira, 2011; Khan et al ., 2008). Consequently, investigations into the levels of heavy metals in agricultural soils deserve more attention in order to provide a benchmark for monitoring and assessing soil pollution by heavy metals (Fu and Wei, 2013; Zhang et al ., 2008). Surveys of heavy metals in agricultural soils have been extensively performed in China in the past few decades, including in Beijing (Huo et al ., 2009), Dongguan (Cai et al ., 2010), Shanghai (Meng et al ., 2008), Huizhou (Cai et al ., 2012). These surveys have found considerable pollution by heavy metals in agricultural soils, especially in some areas near urbanized and industrialized zones and wastewater irrigation regions. However, most of these studies are specifically focused on local areas. Shaoguan City is a representative area of mining activities in northern Guangdong Province, China (Yang et al ., 2003). This area is mainly engaged in mining and smelting, including at the Fankou Pb/Zn Mine, Lechang Pb/Zn Mine, Shaoguan Metallurgical Refinery, and Dabaoshan Mining Group (Figure 1). Previous studies report high levels of heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, and zinc, in soils of this area (Shu et al ., 2004; Yang et al ., 2003). In particular, mean reported concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd are 1490, 1420, 680, and 13.6 mg kg − 1 , respectively, in agricultural soils which received Pb/Zn mining wastewater for more than 50 years (Yang et al ., 2003). Moreover, a similar type of metal pollution has been found around the Fankou and Lechang Pb/Zn Mines (Figure 1), two sub-regions of Shaoguan City (Yang et al ., 2010). These observations actually reveal ...
Context 3
... of heavy metals in Shaoguan City; however, systematic studies on concentrations and possible sources of heavy metals are limited. In this work, concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in agricultural topsoil collected around four nonferrous mines/smelting sites were quantified. The main aims of this study were: (1) to determine the concentrations of the 10 heavy metals; (2) to assess the potential ecological risk of heavy metals; and (3) to identify the possible sources of heavy metals using multivariate analysis. The sampling scheme was carried out from March to July 2010. The sampling period was chosen in order to reduce an influence of precipitation and to meet the need of collect- ing plant samples. A total of 455 agricultural plots were chosen around four nonferrous mines/smelting sites in Shaoguan City. At least five random subsamples were collected at each plot and mixed into one composite sample at a depth of 0-20 cm using a stainless-steel auger. Among these samples, 117 were collected around Lechang Pb/Zn Mine, 171 around Fankou Pb/Zn Mine, 121 around Dabaoshan Mining Group, and 46 around Shaoguan Metallurgical Refinery (Figure 1). Typic paleudults, aquic kanhaplohumults, and andic Hapludox, all with Kaolin-based mineral composition, according to the taxonomy suggested by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), dominate in the area. Rice, water spinach, and pawpaw tree are the three main crops in the sampling region. Under field condition, pH, EC, Eh, and moisture content were determined using a Redox potential analyzer (FJA-15, Nanjing Chuan-Di Instrument & Equipment Co., Ltd., China). All of the soil samples were transported to Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, Sun Yat-sen University, where they were air-dried at ambient temperature for about one week. The samples were sieved to remove stones and plant debris, mechanically ground to pass through a 2 mm nylon sieve, and then mixed thoroughly to obtain representative samples. The pretreated soil samples were stored in polyethylene bags at 4 ◦ C until chemical ...
Similar publications
Taking the surface sediments of rivers near a uranium mine in East China as the research object, the concentrations of seven metals, including Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd and As, were analyzed. The pollution degree and ecological risk of heavy metals and arsenic were evaluated according to the geo-accumulation index, pollution loading index, potential e...
Citations
... The Pearson's correlation coefficient can be used to analyze the correlation between the heavy metal contents; then, the information regarding the sources of the heavy metals can be obtained [9,33]. When there is a significant positive correlation between soil heavy metal contents, it indicates the existence of homology, common geochemical activities, or similar aggregation characteristics between these heavy metals [34,35] and, vice versa, that there are significant differences in their sources [35,36]. The spatial distribution utilizes the Kriging spatial interpolation method, which is theoretically capable of providing the best linearly unbiased estimation of regional variables in a finite area. ...
... The Pearson's correlation coefficient can be used to analyze the correlation between the heavy metal contents; then, the information regarding the sources of the heavy metals can be obtained [9,33]. When there is a significant positive correlation between soil heavy metal contents, it indicates the existence of homology, common geochemical activities, or similar aggregation characteristics between these heavy metals [34,35] and, vice versa, that there are significant differences in their sources [35,36]. The spatial distribution utilizes the Kriging spatial interpolation method, which is theoretically capable of providing the best linearly unbiased estimation of regional variables in a finite area. ...
Metal beneficiation activities may cause soil pollution in the surrounding cropland, making it crucial to conduct heavy metal pollution assessment and source analysis of the cultivated land in mining areas for the protection of the ecological environment and human health. In this study, a total of 205 surface soil samples (0–20 cm) were collected on site from the Tianheba cropland near the lead–zinc concentrator in Xieping Village, Huixian County, Gansu Province, China; their pH values and their SOM, Zn, As, Cd, Cr, Hg, and Pb contents were determined. Based on the data, we used the Kriging spatial interpolation, the Nemero index, the index of geoaccumulation, and the PMF model to analyze the characteristics of the spatial distribution of soil heavy metals in the region, the degree of contamination, the sources, and the contribution rate. The results indicated that the heavy metals with contamination levels in the Tianheba cropland were Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg, As, and Cr in descending order, with the average concentrations of Cd (0.39 mg/kg), Zn (122 mg/kg), Pb (30.4 mg/kg), and Hg (0.07 mg/kg) being significantly higher than the background values of the Gansu soils. The soil in the region as a whole was heavily polluted; it was heavily polluted with Cd, moderately polluted with Zn, and mildly polluted with Pb. Hg had a larger value in the index of geoaccumulation. By analyzing the spatial distribution and sources of the soil metals, it was found that the cropland contaminated with heavy metals in Tianheba was distributed around the mineral processing plant and the infiltration area of the canal. The PMF model revealed three pollution sources: the industrial source related to mining activities, the fertilizer application source, and the natural source. This study provides a scientific basis for the precise management of heavy metal pollution in the area.
... Soil As pollution in GZ 4-6 sites was the result of certain geological As sources based on our previous site survey (Fan 2020). The contamination in SG 1-3 sites resulted from the discharge of As-bearing wastes (Liu et al. 2017;Xu et al. 2022;Zhou et al. 2015), which caused As accumulation in the subsoil. In contrast, soil As pollution in GZ 1-3 sites exhibited relatively lower content under the strict regulatory standard for waste discharge from urban factories. ...
To remediate historically polluted sites before their land-use changes, it is essential to understand the concentration distribution, geochemical fraction, and migratory behavior of As in soil with varied particle sizes for the use of a sieving procedure. This study investigated the amount and percentage of As in soil with different particle sizes (0.25, 0.25–1, and 1–2 mm) as well as its toxicity characteristic in leaching procedure at four previously contaminated sites in the Beijiang River Basin, South China. The results showed that the total As concentration in the collected soils ranged from 70.1 to 402.8 mg/kg, and only a few percent of soil particle samples had As contents below the local risk threshold value of 60 mg/kg. The amorphous hydrous oxide bound, crystalline hydrous oxide bound, and residual fractions (F3–F5) of the geochemical fraction of As in soil of polluted sites accounted for 82.2–95.7% of the total As distribution. However, the concentration of As in non-specifically bound fractions increased with the mass ratio of soil with coarse particle sizes due to the negative correlation of Fe-bearing minerals concentration with the mass ratio of soil with coarse particle size. According to redundancy analysis, soil with coarse particle sizes and non-specifically bound As were mostly responsible for the As concentration in the leachate. These findings confirmed that a sieving process was not suitable for the remediation of soil As at four historically contaminated sites in the Beijiang River Basin due to the high concentration of As in soil and non-negligible environmental risk of labile extractable As in soil with coarse particle size.
Graphical Abstract
... Overall, the results of other research on heavy metals I geo values in the soil samples suggest that the soil in that area is contaminated by the Pb and Zn derived from anthropogenic sources On the other hand, the mean I geo value of Cd indicates that the soil is lowly contaminated with Cd [47]. Baghaie and Aghilli (2019) ...
... The comparison of As content in the soil samples of this study with the results of arsenic content in Pb/Zn mine areas around the world is shown in Table 2. Table 2 shows that the As concentrations in soil samples reported by this study were close to the As concentrations in the Pb/Zn mine site in Guangxi province, China [28], and Sichuan province, in China [32]. The As concentration in the soil samples in this study was significantly less than in the three soil samples of the Pn/Zn mining area in India [27], South Nigeria [30] and Yunnan province in China [29]. The difference in As concentration in soil samples in Pb/Zn mine areas around the world might be speculated by the difference in physicochemical properties of each soil sample in each studying area, the history of ore mining in those areas, and the human impact in the mining process ...
Tình trạng ô nhiễm các kim loại nặng ở các khu vực khai thác quặng là rất nghiêm trọng hiện nay ở Việt Nam cũng như trên thế giới. Đánh giá mức độ và nguy cơ ô nhiễm của asen (As) trong đất ở khu vực khai thác quặng là rất cần thiết đối với việc quản lý môi trường. Phân tích hàm lượng tổng số và dạng hóa học của As trong các mẫu đất được thực hiện theo quy trình chiết Tessier và thiết bị ICP-MS. Nồng độ trung bình của As trong 5 mẫu đất bãi thải là 10,14 ÷ 44,68 mg/Kg và trong 7 mẫu đất nông nghiệp là 5,66 ÷ 7,65 mg/Kg. As trong 12 mẫu đất phân tích đều tồn tại chủ yếu trong các mẫu đất ở dạng cặn dư (F5) > dạng cacbonat (F2) > dạng oxit Fe/Mn (F3) > dạng hữu cơ (F4) > dạng trao đổi (F1). Theo tiêu chuẩn Việt Nam, nồng độ của As trong các mẫu đất nông nghiệp đều thấp hơn giới hạn cho phép, và 3/5 mẫu đất bãi thải có nồng độ As thấp hơn giới hạn cho phép trong đất nông nghiệp và 2 mẫu đất bãi thải có nồng độ As cao hơn giới hạn cho phép. Theo chỉ số Igeo, hầu hết các mẫu đất đều có giá trị Igeo ở mức ô nhiễm nhẹ. Theo mã đánh giá mức độ rủi ro (RAC) thì 10/12 mẫu đất phân tích nằm ở mức rủi ro trung bình.
... [53][54][55]. All heavy metal elements are positively correlated indicating that heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils in the region may have the same source [23,56]. ...
Heavy metal(loid)s pollution in farmland soil is not only a serious environmental but also a human health-related issue. Accurate understanding and evaluation of heavy metal pollution levels in the soil are very important for sustainable agricultural development and food safety. Mountainous and hilly areas have the dual functions of industrial development and agricultural production, and the farmland soil in these areas is more susceptible to heavy metal pollution. In this study, the single factor index, Nemerow index, geo-accumulation index, enrichment factor index, and potential ecological risk indices, which are mainly used to assess the contamination and risk of heavy metals in farmland soils. The sources of heavy metals in agricultural soils of the study area were analyzed using correlation analysis and principal component analysis. Finally, geostatistical methods were used to map the heavy metal contamination of farmland soils. An average concentration of all heavy metals (except As) in farmland soils of the study area exceeded the corresponding background values, as indicated by the obtained results. The results of the principal component analysis showed that the heavy metal sources in the soils of the study area can be classified into two groups. The five pollutant index methods all showed the most serious Hg pollution in the study area. The integrated pollutant mapping results showed that the risk of heavy metal pollution in the study area was mostly moderate, except for the western and central parts of the region. This study enhances understanding of the pollution levers of heavy metals in Yiyuan farmland soils, and also can facilitate the monitoring of heavy metal contaminants at the primary stage of the food chain and assess the risk of the presence of heavy metal contaminants in food, thus improving the health of the residents.
... In F2, the proportion of Ni and Pd is relatively large. Studies have shown that gasoline additives, brake pads, fuel combustion, and the use of engines lead to Pb emissions (Cheng et al., 2022;Zhou et al., 2015). It is inferred that F2 is the parent material-traffic source. ...
In this study, five priority metals recommended by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China (MEEC) were investigated. In the Bijie region of Guizhou Province, three typical coal-fired power plants were chosen as the research locations. A combination of 24 soil samples was obtained at various distances and depths from the point source of contamination. The authors found that the average contents of As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Pb were 14.15, 1.52, 16.80, 40.71, and 53.00 mg kg−1, respectively, with Cd and Pb pollution prominent. In another, soil heavy metal (SHM) content tends to increase or decrease dependently with the increase of sampling distance and depth, with total concentrations ranging from 77.14 to 157.33 mg kg−1. Combining PCA and PMF models, the number of source factors was determined more clearly and accurately using PCA, and the Q-value of PMF was used for validation. The PCA-PMF indicated that the primary anthropogenic sources were transportation-related activities and emissions from coal combustion. The health risks of SHMs under three different exposure routes were then assessed using the HHRA. The findings showed the five HMs in order of non-carcinogenic risk were As > Pb > Cr > Ni > Cd. The comprehensive non-carcinogenic risk for children under the oral intake route around plant B and C was greater than 1, pointing to a potential health risk to children from the soils. The carcinogenic risk of HM was less than 1.00E-04 for both single-factor and multifactor under all three exposure routes, which is below the tolerable limit.
... Over time, various workers used different indices for appraising the degree of contamination in metal-loaded soils. For example, Zhou et al. (2015) used geo-accumulation index, while Rodriguez-Seijio et al. (2016) evaluated metal-contaminated soils with pollution index and integrated pollution index. Ali et al. (2016) used pollution load index to evaluate level of contamination in a metal-rich soil. ...
... The S1 site was highly metal-contaminated as per the IPI index. Uses of pollution index to assess the level of soil degradation due to metal pollution have been limited to a number of studies (Golui et al., 2019;Zhou et al., 2015;Ololade, 2014;Sabo et al., 2013). Moreover, in index-based approach there is limited scope to include solubility of metals as governed by important ...
Soil degradation with metal pollution was assessed in polluted river water-irrigated soils. Human health risk from ingestion of metal by way of eating of edible portion of plants, raised on these soils, was predicted based on the free ion activity in contaminated soils followed by their movement to food-chain of human, using solubility-free ion activity model (FIAM). Soil quality index (SQI) was found to be lowest (PCA-SQI = 0.28) in river water-irrigated soils collected from Nithari and Barnawa village of Uttar Pradesh, India. Degree of soil health degradation due to metal accumulation as indicated by PCA-SQI follows the order: Nithari = Barnawa > Makreda > Rewari > Parsi > Kinauni. Plants grown on soils irrigated with river water showed higher accumulation of metals like zinc, copper, nickel, lead, and cadmium compared to plants raised on tube well-irrigated soils. Variation in metal content in plants grown in river as well tube well-irrigated soils could be successfully predicted by solubility-free ion activity model. Suitability of crops (rice grain, spinach, carrot, cucumber, pumpkin) as raised on river water-irrigated soils for human consumption was expressed in terms of hazard quotient, which were well within the safe limit.
... The highest coefficient of variation in Cu is 98%, indicating a greater susceptibility of this element to staining across the study area compared to other trace metals [74]. It also demonstrates that Cu is originated from anthropogenic and human activity sources [75]. ...
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for human health with crucial biological functions. In this study, Se concentrations and physicochemical properties of soils in central and western Handan were determined to investigate their spatial distribution, enrichment degree, influencing factor, and geological source. The results show that: (1) Se concentrations vary from 0.00 to 1.95 μg/g, with an average of 0.45 μg/g, which exceed the mean of Se in soils in China (0.29 μg/g) and Hebei Plain (0.21 μg/g). (2) A continuous and irregular ring-like area showing significant enrichment of Se could be identified in Handan city, Yongnian District, Wu’an City, and Fengfeng Mining District. It can be defined as a positive abnormal Se zone, which is mainly located in the hilly area in the west of Handan City and east of Taihang Mountains, and the plains near Handan City. (3) Comprehensively, Se enrichment in the soil is principally affected by rock weathering, mining activities, and coal combustion. (4) As far as the single-factor pollution index (SFPI) is concerned, most of the study areas are in the safety domain and slightly polluted domain and are at low ecological risk. According to the Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI), the moderately and seriously polluted domain are distributed in Handan City, Fengfeng Mining District, and other central areas.
... Several studies have suggested that lime, sepiolite, and vermicompost exert favourable effects on decreasing the bioavailability and mobility of heavy metals in soil and reducing the risk of heavy metals entering crops and vegetables Shi et al., 2019;Vrînceanu et al., 2019;Gong et al., 2020;Wang et al.,2020). Previous studies have suggested that remediation of multiple heavy metal-contaminated soils using single amendments may have the disadvantage of low efficiency (Houben et al., 2012;Zhou et al., 2014;Huang et al., 2018), while the application of a combined amendment has the effect of passive superposition on reducing the bioavailability, mobility, and phytoavailability of heavy metals in contaminated soil (Friesl-Hanl et al., 2009;Gong et al., 2020). Therefore, the use of a combined amendment, which includes several organic and/or inorganic materials, has become increasingly popular for remediation of multiple heavy metal-contaminated soils because the amendment mixtures exert synergistic effects on bioavailability of heavy metals and even provide useful substances for plant growth (Hamid et al., 2019;Wang et al., 2020). ...
Farmland soils that surround a historical zinc smelting area in northwestern Guizhou, China, are characterized by high levels of heavy metal accumulation. Previous studies have mainly focused on the potential risk evaluations of heavy metals in soil and crops. However, at present, the effects of amendment applications on the bioavailability of heavy metals and on microbial community in the heavily contaminated soils of the mining region are still unclear. A pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of applying a combined amendment (e.g. lime, sepiolite, and vermicompost) on the diversity and composition of microbial community in the contaminated soil. The results showed that the contents of DTPA- and TCLP-extractable heavy metals (e.g. Cd, Pb, and Zn) decreased and that the pH, SWC, EC, and soil available nutrient (e.g. AN, AP, and AK) contents increased after the application of the combined amendment. Furthermore, application of the combined amendment decreased the diversity of soil bacterial and fungal communities and increased the relative abundances of the dominant bacterial and fungal communities such as Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Ascomycota; however, the relative abundances of Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria decreased. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and structural equation model (SEM) analysis showed that the bioavailability of heavy metals decreased and that soil physicochemical characteristics improved and had positive or negative effects on the diversity and composition of soil microbial community.
... The highest coefficient of variation of Pb is 105.6% (Table 4), followed by As of 85.9%, which indicates that the high variability of these metals in soil. It also demonstrates that those elements (i.e., As, Pb) were originated from anthropogenic and human activity sources (Zhou et al., 2014). The accumulation trend of soil Cd and Pb was significant. ...
Extensive mineral exploitation activities in history have aggravated potential toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in agricultural soils in China. Comprehensive ecological risk assessment is of great significance to orientate the restoration of contaminated soils, especially for those with high background values and multiple sources. The study area is located in the major rice producing area of China. Historically, there was a silver mine and a lead-zinc mine in the area, which were successively closed during the investigation. The intensive mining activities caused serious PTEs pollution in the agricultural soils around the mining area. In this study, five PTEs (As, Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb) selected to assessed the potential of geoaccumulation index in assessing agricultural soil potential risk assessment by identifying ecological risk sources. 315 of soil samples collected in 2009, 2014, 2018 were comprehensively analyzed by single pollution index evaluation (single factor index, geoaccumulation index), comprehensive evaluation (Nemerow index, potential ecological risk index) and trend analysis. Single factor index analysis showed that geoaccumulation index considered the impact of natural diagenesis of background values and human activities on the environment, ensuring high evaluation accuracy comparing to other methods used in typical complex agricultural soils. The modified potential ecological risk index revealed that the high background area did not represent high risk area, which was consistent with the implementation effect of governance measures. This study can provide important insights for policymakers and environmental engineers to quantitatively recognize the soil pollution and the effectiveness of governance based on applicable and reasonable evaluation methods.
