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Analysis of heavy metals in the re-suspended road dusts from different functional areas in Xi’an, China

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Abstract

A study on heavy metal pollution was undertaken in the re-suspended road dusts from different functional areas in Xi’an City of China to investigate the impacts of human activities and land uses on urban environment. The concentrations of Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn were determined using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and their accumulations were analyzed using enrichment factor. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis, combined with the concentration property and enrichment factor, were used to identify the possible sources of heavy metals investigated. The investigated re-suspended road dusts had Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations higher than background levels. Samples from different functional areas had diverse heavy metal concentration levels. Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn presented moderate/significant enrichment in the samples. The source analyses indicated that Mn, Ni, V, Pb, and Zn had the mixed sources of nature and traffic, Cr and Cu mainly originated from traffic source, while Co was primarily derived from construction source. Traffic and construction activities had a significant impact on urban environment. This preliminary research provides a valuable basis for urban environment protection and management.

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Acknowledgments

The research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through Grant 41271510 and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities through Grant GK 201601009. All the experiments were conducted in the Environmental Science Lab of Shaanxi Normal University. We thank Na Yin, Yuxin Li, and Ying Liu for their help with the sample preparation and the experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 620, Chang’an West Street, Xi’an, 710119, Shaanxi Province, People’s Republic of China

    Qian Wang, Xinwei Lu & Huiyun Pan

  2. Institute of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454000, People’s Republic of China

    Huiyun Pan

Authors
  1. Qian Wang
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  2. Xinwei Lu
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  3. Huiyun Pan
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Correspondence to Xinwei Lu.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Wang, Q., Lu, X. & Pan, H. Analysis of heavy metals in the re-suspended road dusts from different functional areas in Xi’an, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 19838–19846 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7200-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7200-5

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