ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Pollution Assessment of Heavy Metals
in Roadside Agricultural Soils
More details
Hide details
1
Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science,
Abu BakrBelkaid University, Tlemcen, Algeria
2
Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Physico-Chemistry for Environment and Health, Department of Chemistry,
Faculty of Exact Sciences, University Djillali Liabbes, SBA, Algeria
Submission date: 2019-05-01
Final revision date: 2019-08-25
Acceptance date: 2019-09-08
Online publication date: 2020-02-28
Publication date: 2020-04-21
Corresponding author
Taiba Ben Seghier
Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry and Environment, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Abu University, Laboratory of Inorganic Chemistry and Environment,, 13000, Tlemcen, Algeria
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2020;29(4):2855-2863
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Soil contamination of heavy metals is widespread, raising concerns about agricultural risks. We are
investigating the concentrations and forms of the heavy metals lead, zinc, chromium, cobalt, nickel,
cadmium and copper in agricultural soils near intensive traffic areas in two major cities in western
Algeria: Tlemcen and Sidi Bel Abbes. We analyzed four soil samples cultivated with grapes (E1 and
E2) and wheat (E3 and E4). The average concentrations of lead, cadmium, chromium and copper in
these agricultural lands exceeded the environmental quality standards of soil in Europe. The average of
total concentrations of nickel, cobalt and zinc are less than the environmental quality standards of soil
in Europe, which is consistent with the obtained results of the contamination degrees and the potential
ecological risk of a single heavy metal. (Eri), Eri were classified as considerable (80≤Eri<160), high
(160≤Eri<320); that, Eir average for Pb in all soil samples is 68.67 and 162.91 for the Cd. As a result, the
ERI of the four soil samples was high in all cases. When using sequential extraction, our results show
that cadmium compounds are preferentially concentrated in the carbonate fraction, acid-extractable
fraction and residual phase of the soil, causing a risk because of its high value. Co was concentrated in
the phases of reducible and oxidizable, while Pb, Zn, Cu and Ni are highly concentrated in the remaining
two remaining phases, which are weak in reducible and oxidizable phases. These results show that these
minerals are less readily available in the examined soil. There is also a correlation between nickel-zinc
(Ni-Zn), cobalt, zinc (Co-Zn), cadmium and nickel (Cd-Ni), cadmium and chromium (Cd-Cr), cadmium
and lead (Cd-Pb), copper and zinc (Cu-Zn), and chromium and lead (Cr-Pb). Soil parameters such as pH,
CEC, TC% and organic matter content should also be taken into consideration when determining soil
pollution status.