Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Environmental status of groundwater affected by chromite ore processing residue (COPR) dumpsites during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Chromite ore processing residue (COPR) is generated by the roasting of chromite ores for the extraction of chromium. Leaching of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from COPR dumpsites and contamination of groundwater is a key environmental risk. The objective of the study was to evaluate Cr(VI) contamination in groundwater in the vicinity of three COPR disposal sites in Uttar Pradesh, India, in the pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons. Groundwater samples (n = 57 pre-monsoon, n = 70 monsoon) were taken in 2014 and analyzed for Cr(VI) and relevant hydrochemical parameters. The site-specific ranges of Cr(VI) concentrations in groundwater were <0.005 to 34.8 mg L−1 (Rania), <0.005 to 115 mg L−1 (Chhiwali), and <0.005 to 2.0 mg L−1 (Godhrauli). Maximum levels of Cr(VI) were found close to the COPR dumpsites and significantly exceeded safe drinking water limits (0.05 mg L−1). No significant dependence of Cr(VI) concentration on monsoons was observed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Afkhami A, Madrakian T, Amini A (2009) Mo(VI) and W(VI) removal from water samples by acid-treated high area carbon cloth. Desalination 243:258–264

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ansari AA, Singh IB, Tobschall HJ (1999) Status of anthropogenically induced metal pollution in the Kanpur-Unnao industrial region of the Ganga Plain, India. Environ Geol 38:25–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ansari AA, Singh IB, Tobschall HJ (2000) Role of monsoon rain on concentrations and dispersion patterns of metal pollutants in sediments and soils of the Ganga Plain. India Environ Geol 39:221–237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bajwa BS, Kumar S, Singh S, Sahoo SK, Tripathi RM (2015) Uranium and other heavy toxic elements distribution in the drinking water samples of SW-Punjab, India. J Radiat Res Appl Sci, in press. 1–9

  • BIS (2009) Draft Indian standard drinking water—specification. Second Revision of IS 1050. Bureau of Indian Standards. New Delhi, India.

  • Burke T, Fagliano J, Goldoft M, Hazen RE, Iglewicz R, McKee T (1991) Chromite ore processing residue in Hudson County, New Jersey. Environ Health Perspect 92:131–137

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • CGWB 2010 Ground water quality in shallow aquifers of India, Central Ground Water Board. Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, Faridabad, India

  • Chakraborti D, Ghorai SK, Das B, Pal A, Nayak B, Shah BA (2009) Arsenic exposure through groundwater to the rural and urban population in the Allahabad-Kanpur track in the upper Ganga plain. J Environ Monitor 11:1455–1459

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chakraborti D, Das B, Murrill MT (2011) Examining India’s groundwater quality management. Environ Sci Technol 45:27–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chowdhury MI, Safiullah S, Iqbal Ali SM, Mofizuddin M, Enamul Kabir S (1982) Carbon transport in the Ganges and the Brahmaputra: preliminary results. Mitt Geo-Paläont Inst Univ Hamburg 52:457–468

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chrysochoou M, Dermatas D, Grubb DG, Moon DH, Christodoulatos C (2010) Importance of mineralogy in the geoenvironmental characterization and treatment of chromite ore processing residue. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 136:510–521

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dwivedi AK, Vankar PS, Sahu RS (2015) Geochemical trends of heavy metal in aquifer system of Kanpur Industrial Zone, Uttar Pradesh (India): a case study. Environmental Earth Sciences 73:7287–7296

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations (2014) European Commission

  • Farmer JG, Thomas RP, Graham MC, Geelhoed JS, Lumsdon DG, Paterson E (2002) Chromium speciation and fractionation in ground and surface waters in the vicinity of chromite ore processing residue disposal sites. J Environ Monitor 4:235–243

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fewtrell L (2004) Drinking-water nitrate, methemoglobinemia, and global burden of disease: a discussion. Environ Health Perspect 112:1371–1374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geelhoed JS, Meeussen JCL, Lumsdon DG, Hillier S, Roe MJ, Thomas RP, Bewley RJF, Farmer JG, Paterson E (2001) Modelling of chromium behaviour and transport at sites contaminated with chromite ore processing residue: implications for remediation methods. Environ Geochem Health 23:261–265

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geelhoed JS, Meeussen JCL, Hillier S, Lumsdon DG, Thomas RP, Farmer JG, Paterson E (2002) Identification and geochemical modeling of processes controlling leaching of Cr(VI) and other major elements from chromite ore processing residue. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 66:3927–3942

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta UC (1997) Symptoms of molybdenum deficiency and toxicity in crops. In: Gupta UC (Editor), Molybdenum in agriculture. Cambridge University Press, pp. 160–170

  • Han R, Geller JT, Yang L, Brodie EL, Chakraborty R, Larsen JT, Beller HR (2010) Physiological and transcriptional studies of Cr(VI) reduction under aerobic and denitrifying conditions by an aquifer-derived pseudomonad. Environ Sci Technol 44:7491–7497

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hettick BE, Canas-Carrell JE, French AD, Klein DM (2015) Arsenic: a review of the element’s toxicity, plant interactions, and potential methods of remediation. J. Agric Food Chem 63:7097–7097

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes AL, Wise SS, Wise JP (2008) Carcinogenicity of hexavalent chromium. Indian J Med Res 128:353–372

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IMD (2015a) Indian Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. http://hydro.imd.gov.in/hydrometweb/(S(spdjkny1vy412l55oyixsg3c))/DistrictRaifall.aspx. Accessed 3 Dec 2015

  • IMD (2015b) Annual report 2014. Indian Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. www.imd.gov.in/section/nhac/monsoon_report_2014.pdf. Accessed 3 Dec 2015

  • Kimbrough DE, Cohen Y, Winer AM, Creelman L, Mabuni C (1999) A critical assessment of chromium in the environment. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 29:1–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar S, Saxena A (2011) Chemical weathering of the Indo-Gangetic alluvium with special reference to release of fluoride in the groundwater, Unnao District, Uttar Pradesh. J Geol Soc India 77:459–477

  • Kumar MP, Prerna S, Akash K, Prasad MK (2015) Uranium in ground water of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India: a preliminary study. Inter Res J Environ Sci 4:70–74

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kurttio P, Harmoinen A, Saha H, Salonen L, Karpas Z, Komulainen H, Auvinen A (2006) Kidney toxicity of ingested uranium from drinking water. Am J Kidney Dis 47:972–982

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li XB, Xu WB, Zhou QS, Peng ZH, Liu GH (2011) Leaching kinetics of acid-soluble Cr(VI) from chromite ore processing residue with hydrofluoric acid. J Cent S Univ Technol 18:399–405

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matern K, Kletti H, Mansfeldt T (2016) Chemical and mineralogical characterization of chromite ore processing residue from two Indian disposal sites. Chemosphere 155:188–195

  • Matern K, Mansfeldt T (2016) Chromium release from a COPR-contaminated soil at varying water content and redox conditions. J Environ Qual 45:1259–1267

  • Mumtaz N, Pandey G, Labhasetwar PK (2015) Global fluoride occurrence, available technologies for fluoride removal, and electrolytic defluoridation: a review. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 45:2357–2389

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nagajyoti PC, Lee KD, Sreekanth TVM (2010) Heavy metals, occurrence and toxicity for plants: a review. Environ Chem Lett 8:199–216

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pechova A, Pavlata L (2007) Chromium as an essential nutrient: a review. Veterinarni Medicina 52:1–18

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prakash R, Srivastava SK, Singh M, Rastogi R, Singh K, Bhartariya KG (2011) Metallic contamination in ground water of Rania industrial area, Kanpur, UP. National Workshop on chemistry our life, our future. Lucknow, India

  • Rahaman W, Singh SK, Raghav S (2010) Dissolved Mo and U in rivers and estuaries of India: implication to geochemistry of redox sensitive elements and their marine budgets. Chem Geol 278:160–172

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raju NJ, Dey S, Gossel W, Wycisk P (2012) Fluoride hazard and assessment of groundwater quality in the semi-arid Upper Panda River basin, Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Hydrol Sci J 57:1433–1452

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rao MBR (1973) The subsurface geology of the Indo-Gangetic plains. J Geol Soc India 14:217–242

    Google Scholar 

  • Sankararamakrishnan N, Sharma AK, Iyengar L (2008) Contamination of nitrate and fluoride in ground water along the Ganges alluvial plain of Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Environ Monit Assess 146:375–382

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shelnutt SR, Goad P, Belsito DV (2007) Dermatological toxicity of hexavalent chromium. Crit Rev Toxicol 37:375–387

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh IB (1996) Geological evolution of Ganga plain—an overview. J Palaeontol Soc India 41:99–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh KP, Malik A, Mohan D, Singh VK, Sinha S (2006a) Evaluation of groundwater quality in northern indo-Gangetic alluvium region. Environ Monit Assess 112:211–230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh KP, Singh VK, Malik A, Basant N (2006b) Distribution of nitrogen species in groundwater aquifers of an industrial area in alluvial Indo-Gangetic Plains—a case study. Environ Geochem Health 28:473–485

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh RK, Sengupta B, Bali R, Shukla BP, Gurunadharao VVS, Srivatstava R (2009) Identification and mapping of chromium (VI) plume in groundwater for remediation: a case study at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. J Geol Soc India 74:49–57

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh RK, Sachan VK, Ansari MQ, Pandey DS, Kamyotra JS (2013) Groundwater pollution due to chromium rich hazardous waste disposal in Rania-Khanchandpur area, Distt Kanur Dehat(R), U.P., India: a case study. Uttar Pradesh State biodiversity board. Lucknow, India

  • Sinha R, Tandon SK, Gibling MR (2010) Shallow sub-surface stratigraphy of the Ganga basin, Himalayan foreland: present status and future perspectives. Quat Int 227:81–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srinivasa Gowd S, Ramakrishna Reddy M, Govil PK (2010) Assessment of heavy metal contamination in soils at Jajmau (Kanpur) and Unnao industrial areas of the Ganga Plain, Uttar Pradesh, India. J Hazard Mater 174:113–121

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava A, Singh S, Prakash R, Srivastava S (2013) Impact of tanneries on groundwater quality in Kanchandpur area, Kanpur dehat district, UP. J Inst Public Health Eng 2:19–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava A, Singh S (2014) Industrial impact of chromium, fluoride & salinity in Unnao UPSIDC area, Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. I J Sci Res Develop 1:2596–2600

    Google Scholar 

  • Sun H, Brocato J, Costa M (2015) Oral chromium exposure and toxicity. Curr Environ Health Rep 2:295–303

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun T, Chen J, Lei X, Zhou C (2014) Detoxification and immobilization of chromite ore processing residue with metakaolin-based geopolymer. J Environ Chem Eng 2:304–309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Underwood EJ (1976) Molybdenum in biological nitrogen fixation. Molybdenum in the environment. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York

    Google Scholar 

  • US EPA (1992) SW-846, method 7196A, chromium, hexavalent (colorimetric). US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2011) Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Fourth ed. vol. 1 Recommendations. Geneva

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under contract no. Ma 2143/14-1 and Dr. Hohmann-Förderung of the Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Köln. The authors wish to thank the Founder and President of the Kanpur-based NGO “Eco Friends,” Mr. R. K. Jaiswal, for his constant support both from afar and (especially) on site. We also appreciate the valuable support of the Geoinformatics Lab in the Department of Civil Engineering at the IIT Kanpur. Further special thanks are owed to Mr. Imran Siddiqui of Super Tanneries Ltd., Kanpur.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil Geography/Soil Science, Department of Geosciences, University of Cologne, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923, Cologne, Germany

    Katrin Matern & Tim Mansfeldt

  2. ZEuUS, THM University of Applied Sciences, Wiesenstr. 14, 35390, Gießen, Germany

    Harald Weigand

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, 208016, India

    Abhas Singh

Authors
  1. Katrin Matern
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Harald Weigand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Abhas Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tim Mansfeldt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tim Mansfeldt.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Kenneth Mei Yee Leung

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOCX 116 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Matern, K., Weigand, H., Singh, A. et al. Environmental status of groundwater affected by chromite ore processing residue (COPR) dumpsites during pre-monsoon and monsoon seasons. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 3582–3592 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-8110-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-8110-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation