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Impact of sewage and mining activities on distribution of heavy metals in the water-soil-vegetation system

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Abstract

Several samples of groundwater and soils and plants have been collected from Sohar (Batina region, NE Oman), which is affected by various activities such as mining, agriculture, and sewage. To characterize quality of groundwater, As and Cu concentrations have been investigated in waters collected from different wells. Comparison of data with local and international standard values revealed that groundwater in Sohar region is characterized by lower concentrations in Cu and As compared with standards. In soils collected from the same area, concentrations of heavy metals have been measured in different fractions in order to investigate the mobility of such elements and risk of vulnerability in this area. A sequential extraction procedure has been applied to surface sediments to determine the partitioning of Zn, Cu, Co, Mn, Fe, Pb, Cr, Cd and Ni among (1) exchangeable and acid-soluble phases, (2) Fe–Mn oxides, (3) organic matter and sulphides and (4) resistant phases. The results showed that the mobile fraction in the sewage area accounts only for 10 % of the total concentration in sediments while in the Cu mining area, the contribution of the mobile fraction may exceed 10 %, especially for Pb, Mn, Cd, Cu and Co. Investigation of concentrations in As and Cu in plants collected from mining and sewage areas revealed an important accumulation of these elements in leaves and may explain enrichment of As in shallow groundwater relative to deep groundwater. This investigation also showed that Cu is more available in sewage area than in mining zone, as opposed to As.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank sincerely Ahmed Al Bulushi and Hommoud Al Rejaiby from Ministry of Regional Municipality and Environmental and Water Resources, for their collection of samples. We would also like to thank Ahmad Al Mewali (Department of Engineering, Ministry of Municipalities) and Mahfoodh Al-shuely (Department of Engineering, Ministry of Defence) for chemical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Al-Khod 123, P.O. Box 36, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

    K. Semhi

  2. 4, Rue de Marlenheim, 67000, Strasbourg, France

    K. Semhi

  3. Ministry of Regional Municipality and Environmental and Water Resources, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

    R. Al Abri & S. Al Khanbashi

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  1. K. Semhi
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  2. R. Al Abri
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  3. S. Al Khanbashi
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Correspondence to K. Semhi.

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Semhi, K., Al Abri, R. & Al Khanbashi, S. Impact of sewage and mining activities on distribution of heavy metals in the water-soil-vegetation system. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 11, 1285–1296 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-013-0369-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-013-0369-y

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