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Spatial variability and risk assessment of heavy metals in the soil surrounding solid waste from coking plants in Shanxi, China

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Abstract

Heavy metal pollution in the soil surrounding solid wastes from coking plants poses potential threats to human health and has attracted widespread attention. This study is the first to assess the spatial variability and risks of heavy metals in the soil surrounding solid waste from coking plants. The results showed that the concentrations of Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cd in the soil were much higher than the background value of the soil. Solid waste had a clear influence on the contents of Ni, Cd, Mn, Pb, and Cr in the soil. The ecological risk assessment of heavy metal pollution demonstrated that the pollution degree of Cu, Pb, and Cd was more serious than others, and the ecological risk of heavy metals was mainly caused by Cd in the soil. The human health risk assessment showed that adults and children near coking plants might face carcinogenic risk from exposure to Cr. This study can provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and management of soil heavy metal pollution surrounding solid waste in coking plants.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, Nos. 21707099), by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China (Major Science and Technology Program, No. 2019YFC0408601 and 2019YFC0408602), by the Key Research and Development (R&D) Project of Shanxi Province (No. 201903D321057 and 201903D321055), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52070139, 21806120 and 51908396).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China

    Cuicui Wang, Peirui Li, Xin Kong, Houfen Li, Sufang Wang & Xiuping Yue

  2. Shan Xi Service Center for Eco-Environmental Protection (Shan Xi Academy for Environmental Planning), Taiyuan, 030000, China

    Jian Zeng, Jinhong Luo & Sufang Wang

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  1. Cuicui Wang
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  2. Peirui Li
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  3. Xin Kong
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  4. Houfen Li
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  5. Jian Zeng
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  6. Jinhong Luo
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  7. Sufang Wang
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. The first draft of the manuscript and the drawing of charts were written by Cuicui Wang, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. The experimental operation, data sorting and sample collection were completed by Peirui Li and Xin Kong. The data curation and resources were performed by Houfen Li. The investigation was completed by Jian Zeng and Jinhong Luo. The writing guidance, modification and fund acquisition of the paper were completed by the corresponding author, Associate Professor Sufang Wang, and supervised and managed by Professor Xiuping Yue. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sufang Wang or Xiuping Yue.

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Wang, C., Li, P., Kong, X. et al. Spatial variability and risk assessment of heavy metals in the soil surrounding solid waste from coking plants in Shanxi, China. Environ Monit Assess 195, 99 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10482-1

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