DETERMINATION OF SOME HEAVY METALS IN DUMPSITE SOIL AND Abelmochus esculentus FRUIT GROWN NEAR DUMPSITES IN KAFANCHAN METROPOLIS, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA
DETERMINATION OF SOME HEAVY METALS IN DUMPSITE SOIL AND Abelmochus esculentus FRUIT GROWN NEAR DUMPSITES IN KAFANCHAN METROPOLIS, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA
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Date
2016-10
Authors
SHEMANG, Yohanna Chindo
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Abstract
In this study, the seasonal variations in concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb in soil and Abelmochus esculentus fruit grown near five (5) dumpsites in Kafanchan metropolis, Nigeria were investigated during the rainy and dry seasons of 2015 using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. The dumpsite soils and control sites were sandy loam in nature and alkaline in the wet season. The cation exchange capacity, soil particle size distribution, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter had higher values in the dry season compared to the wet. The mean levels of Cd in the dumpsite soils in the wet season was 21.86 - 58.27 mg/kg, Cu 41.33 - 81.21 mg/kg, Cr 25.86 - 44.69 mg/kg, Ni 31.44 - 77.44 mg/kg, Pb 23.62 - 56.63 mg/kg, while in the dry season, the ranges were Cd 11.38 - 30.67 mg/kg, Cu 106.52 - 158.42 mg/kg, Ni 52.09 - 119.69 mg/kg, Pb 94.19 - 308.35 mg/kg and Zn 98.43 - 332.83 mg/kg. The concentrations of the studied metals increased from wet to dry season at most dumpsites. The speciation of the soil indicated higher concentrations of heavy metals in the residual fractions (wet season 3.18 – 24.03 mg/kg; dry season 4.08 – 132.37 mg/kg); while the water soluble fractions had the least concentration (wet season 0.55 – 17.35 mg/kg; dry season 0.00 – 25.50 mg/kg). The non-residual fractions (wet season 37 – 95%; dry season, 26 – 82%) had higher percentage than the residual (wet season 5 – 63%; dry season, 18 - 74%). The concentrations of the heavy metals in the dumpsite soils were at levels above the Federal Environmental Protection Agency FEPA (1991) and European Commission (1986) maximum tolerable limits for these heavy metals in soils with few exceptions. The soil pollution load index in the wet season was 1.95 and 1.73 in the dry; contamination factor was 0.90 – 4.55 in the wet season and 0.59 – 5.78 in the dry season, while the geo accumulation index (wet season -0.51 – 1.11; dry season -0.92 – 1.35) showed that the soils of the dumpsites were polluted with the heavy metals studied. The mean cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel and lead contents in Abelmoschus esculentus fruits ranged from 8.51 to 14.36; 7.98 to 14.29; 7.35 to 18.80; 1.33 to 16.75; and 4.08 to 12.63 respectively. A. esculentus fruits had relatively low transfer factor for the metals. This study showed that the soils within the vicinity of the dumpsites were polluted by heavy metals. This calls for proper waste management practices and policy implementation.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE (ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY) DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY FACULTY OF SCIENCE AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
OCTOBER,
Keywords
DETERMINATION,, HEAVY METALS,, DUMPSITE SOIL,, Abelmochus esculentus, FRUIT GROWN NEAR DUMPSITES,, KAFANCHAN METROPOLIS,, NIGERIA