Sediment Contamination Indices

Geochemistry, pollution load index (PLI) contamination factor (CF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and anthropogenic factors (AF) of sediment samples collected from Olonkoro river, South West, Nigeria has been conducted. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), Xray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) techniques were explored for sample analyses. Metals concentrations were varied therefore, the presences of these metals were entirely from non-crustal materials. The enrichment factor EF values in this site are in the decreasing order Cu > Pb> Mn> Zn >Cd. High Igeo was recorded for most of the metals; Zn belong to strongly contaminated while Pd was predominately extremely contaminated. Igeo values for Cu ranged from 5.44 to 6.98 with a mean value of 6.17 and most of the samples fell into class 6 of very strongly contaminated. This high index is caused mainly by industrial activities and agricultural activities taking place within the area. The PLI values from location P1 to P10 suggest deterioration of site sediment quality. The mineral phases were extracted from the XRD data. All the samples exhibited similar diffractographs, it is confirmed that the most dominant of all the minerals present is quartz. its absorption band appears around 455 to 450, 798 to 800. Pyrites are principally present at locations 1, 5, 7 and 10 its absorption frequency ranges from 700 to 800. This could be connected to the presence of iron (Fe) Thus, an immediate intervention to ameliorate pollution at sites is needed. The average AF of >1 was recorded for Fe, this suggest that it's enrichment was through anthropogenic source. Fe in the entire ten locations exhibit this characteristic while Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd reflect geogenic sources of these metals. Thus, the order of degrees of anthropogenic contamination in the sediment samples is: Fe > Cu > Zn > Pb > Mn> Cd. Geomineral analyses confirmed the presence of pyrite, quartz, Felspar, Goethite, chromites, calcite, and Kaolin as part of the sediment compositions.

In many regions of the world, soil contamination of trace metal(loid)s has become a serious problem. Several studies have used contamination risk indices to identify potential risks arising from excessive pollution, but the majority of these analyses have only focused on anthropogenic sources, making data from these studies less meaningful than those from the added past mining sites, which are considered in the present study. The main objective of this study was to examine the contamination of rare trace metal(loid)s in surface soil near the vicinity of historical mining activities. The concentrations and contamination risks of five rare trace metal(loid)s (B, Ba, Sb, Sn, and V) in surface soils were analysed for 39 soil samples collected from the surrounding areas of the past mining areas of Cerrito Blanco, Matehuala in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The region has a long history of mining activities that has resulted in the release of trace metal(loid)s into the environment. The evaluation of the contamination risk was performed using single standard indices (i.e., geo-accumulation index and contamination factor) and multi-element standard indices (i.e., degree of contamination, modified degree of contamination, pollution load index, metal pollution index, and Nemerow pollution index). The mean trace metal(loid)s concentration in surface soils followed in the decreasing order barium (Ba) > boron (B) > vanadium (V) > antimony (Sb) > tin (Sn), with corresponding values of 48.15, 12.37, 5.36, 1.62, and 1.58 mg/kg, respectively. Evaluated contamination indices revealed that most of the soil samples were not polluted and were below the reference value. The measured values obtained from these indices revealed that the contamination is only caused by past mining activities and natural geological formations. The GIS interpolation technique was used to assess the spatial distribution patterns and mapping process of trace metal(loid)s. However, the contaminated area was less than 10 % of the studied area calculated using a traditional technique, which relies on the proportion of contaminated samples. The significance of this study lies on the processes contributing to soil contamination in Mexico's historical mining regions. The findings offer essential insights for developing appropriate remediation strategies and safeguards to improve soil quality. By considering not only anthropogenic sources but also historical mining activities, this work contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of soil contamination risks and broadens the scope of research in this field.

Both industrial and domestic wastewater are drained into the Buriganga River, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In order to screen metal pollutant levels and to assess ecological risks, this study was conducted on water and sediment samples from the Buriganga River. A total of 13 metals in water and sediment samples were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. For sediment samples, the geoaccumulation index (I geo), contamination factor (CF), potential ecological risk index, and pollution load index (PLI) were calculated. The I geo increased in order of Ag > Pb > Cu > Zn > Hg > Cd > Cr > Co > Ni > As > Se > Sb > Be > Tl in both summer and winter seasons. The CFs identified major contaminating (moderate to very high) metals to be Ag, Pb, Cu, Zn, Hg, and Cd. Hg and Cd posed the highest ecological risk in the study area, and 86% of samples showed moderate (95-190) to considerable (190-380) ecological risk index. PLI attributed ~71% of the sampling site are polluted (PLI > 1) in both seasons. For water samples, degree of contamination (C d), heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), and Nemerow index (NI) were calculated. C d showed ~86% of the water samples have low to high degree of contamination, while HEI reflects 28% of the samples were highly polluted and HPI indicated 86% of samples were low to highly polluted. In addition, NI revealed that the river water is severely polluted by metals.

Mining activities are among the main sources of trace elements in the environment, which constitute a real concern worldwide, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the multivariate approaches such as Correlation Matrix and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) for the identification of probable sources of trace elements in the deposited dust near the Mehdi Abad Pb/Zn mine located in Mehriz, Yazd province, as well as the evaluation of dust contamination based on the Geo-accumulation Index (I geo), Nemerow Pollution Index (PI Nemerow), Improved Nemerow Index (IN), and Combined Pollution Index (CPI). In addition, an anthropogenic index was used to determine the sources of the elements.  For this purpose, deposited dust was collected in nine sites using a marble dust collector (MDCO). Next, the chemical analysis of dust was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Statistics analysis was carried out using SPSS 22.0. The results ...

Mining activities are among the main sources of trace elements in the environment, which constitute a real concern worldwide, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the multivariate approaches such as Correlation Matrix and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) for the identification of probable sources of trace elements in the deposited dust near the Mehdi Abad Pb/Zn mine located in Mehriz, Yazd province, as well as the evaluation of dust contamination based on the Geo-accumulation Index (I geo), Nemerow Pollution Index (PI Nemerow), Improved Nemerow Index (IN), and Combined Pollution Index (CPI). In addition, an anthropogenic index was used to determine the sources of the elements.  For this purpose, deposited dust was collected in nine sites using a marble dust collector (MDCO). Next, the chemical analysis of dust was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Statistics analysis was carried out using SPSS 22.0. The results showed that concentrations of zinc, thallium, silver, aluminium, arsenic, bismuth, calcium, cadmium, cerium, caesium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, hafnium, potassium, lutetium, manganese, sodium, phosphorus, antimony, scandium, and samarium in the deposited dust was higher than the background value. HCA identified two origins for the elements. The anthropogenic index confirmed the geogenic origin of elements in the deposited dust. Furthermore, CPI and PI Nemerow indices values showed that all sampling sites were in the heavily contaminated class. The results of IN Index showed that 56% of sampling sites were in the heavily contaminated class. The analysis of I geo, PI Nemerow, and IN indices showed that arsenic caused extreme contamination of the deposited dust at sampling sites.

Heavy metal (HM) pollution of river sediments is one of the most important problems encountered in the aquatic environments. The purpose of this study was to determine potential HM contamination in the sediments of Ç€ omlekci stream and to assess the environmental risks associated with this contamination. To achieve these objectives, sediment samples were collected seasonally at three different stations, dried at 103˚C for 24 h, sieved to <63 lm, and analyzed for HMs with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The average concentrations (mg/kg) in the sediments were as follows: Iron (Fe) 8597 ± 1726 > manganese (Mn) 297.7 ± 48.42 > zinc (Zn) 60.09 ± 46.52 > copper (Cu) 35.26 ± 23.33 > lead (Pb) 19.91 ± 11.01 > chrome (Cr) 7.89 ± 2.78 > nickel (Ni) 7.01 ± 3.33 > cobalt (Co) 5.77 ± 1.32 > cadmium (Cd) 0.11 ± 0.17. To determine the origins and the relationships of HMs, statistical methods such as Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used. In addition, potential ecological risks and toxicity to human health were determined by performing calculations of the geoaccumulation index (I geo), enrichment factor (EF), hazard index (HI), hazard quotient (HQ) and lifetime cancer risk (LCR) and comparing data to sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). The average enrichment factors (EFs) of Fe, Ni and Cr were less than 1.5, which indicates that they come from natural sources, while the other metals were consistently higher (EF > 1.5), which implies an anthropogenic influence. According to I geo results, there is limited contamination of sediments by Cu, Pb and Zn. Average value of SQGs showed that there is no environmental risk for aquatic biota. Data of HI, HQ, and LCR indicate that HMs do not pose carcinogenic risks or non-carcinogenic hazards to human health.

Heavy metals are pollutants of river sediments, and their concentration varies depending on parental material and anthropogenic inputs, thus it is important to distinguish between the natural and anthropogenic inputs. The objective of this study is to use different types of indexes to assess the current pollution status in Ogbere River sediment and select the best index to describe the sediment quality. The indexes used in this study were enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (I geo) and principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA has an advantage over other index analyses as it reduces the dimensionality of the data set and thus used to support multivariate cluster analysis. From the study, a total of 12 sediment samples were collected in both seasons across six sampling location and pollution indexes indicated three things: firstly, the metal distribution profile in the sediment showed that the heavy metals analysed were lower than the maximum allowable limits stipulated by Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR); secondly, minor to extremely severe significant levels of enrichment and thirdly, practically uncontaminated to a moderately contaminated degree of contamination in Ogbere River during the study period. The PCA is considered more sensitive in the analysis of benthic changes as well as sediment quality. However, the heavy metal assessment indices are not only used for sediment quality. Biological testing and ecological analysis of existing community related to sediment contamination are further recommended in River Ogbere.

The condition of the soil environment is critical for human health and agricultural sustainability. As a result, the environmental and ecological issues impacting the soils throughout the world are receiving more attention. This research focuses on local site-specific studies in Cerrito Blanco, Matehuala municipality, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and describes different types of GIS interpolation techniques, multivariate statistical analysis, and various contamination indices to investigate the relationship between predictive accuracy, levels of contamination risk, and soil toxic metal elements variation. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-EOS) used to test 39 digested surface soil samples for significant toxic metals (Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Li, and Ni) after suitable dilution with deionised water. According to the results, we found that only the mean value of cadmium (Cd) exceeded the permissible standard value. After evaluating the four types of interpolation techniques, the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) was determined to be the optimal interpolation model for assessing the spatial distribution patterns of toxic metal concentration in the research area. The calculated contamination risk indices showed no significant high contamination risk due to soil-borne toxic metals. These results provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of past mining activities on toxic metal concentrations in non-cultivated surface soil.

Mineral resources (such as sulphur, iron, lead, and zinc) are abundant in one of the watersheds in Anhui Province, China. Unfortunately, excessive mining has negatively impacted the surrounding ecosystems and human health. To facilitate planning of the dredging project for the main river in the watershed, identification of the contaminant source(s) of sediments in the river course is critical. This study focuses on the investigation of seven mines and related businesses. Soil samples were collected from tailings piles and sewage outlets from the mines, sediments in the river course, surrounding croplands, and background areas. The concentrations of eight heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, lead, arsenic, chromium, copper, zinc, and nickel) were analysed. Multivariate statistical analyses, combined with the specific site information, were conducted to evaluate the potential sources of heavy metals in river sediments. The results indicated that the concentrations of copper, cadmium, and arsenic exceeded the thresholds in most parts of the river course. The degree of pollution was highest for copper, moderate for cadmium and arsenic, and lowest for lead, zinc, mercury, nickel, and chromium. Based on pollutant characteristics of different samples, the hydrology and hydrogeology in the watershed, and the operational history of the businesses, the primary source(s) of the contamination of heavy metals in river sediments was determined to be the effluents discharged from mine operations. When the effluents containing large amounts of heavy metals-laden suspensions entered the watershed, the suspensions precipitated gradually, leading to the high concentrations of heavy metals in the river sediments.

Sediment contamination by heavy metals poses one of the worst environmental risks to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. The study explored sediment-associated heavy metal contamination and potential ecological risk along the Molopo River in Mahikeng, South Africa. Total concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Various indices were applied to assess the level of contamination and ecological risk. Most heavy metal concentrations at selected upstream and downstream sites were below average shale, except Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn. The contamination factor (CF) indicates that the level of contamination was low (CF < 1) at most sampling sites, except Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn, which varied from moderate (1 CF < 3) to considerable (3 CF < 6) contamination. The enrichment factor (EF) shows that Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn were moderate (2 EF < 5) to significantly enriched (5 EF < 20) at the affected sites. The results suggest anthropogenic enrichment (EF > 2) of Cd, Cr, Cu, and Zn. The threshold effect concentration and probable effect concentration sediment quality guidelines predicted that Cr, Cu, and Ni concentrations were more likely to have harmful effects on bottomdwelling organisms. Pearson correlation and principal component analysis reveal that Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn had a common anthropogenic source. We attribute the source to industrial and wastewater effluent, vehicle traffic, and runoff from various urban surfaces in the city. The study provides baseline data for heavy metal monitoring in the study area. Future research and monitoring should focus on heavy metals that cause concern because of their concentrations (Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn) and potential ecological risk (Cr, Cu, and Ni).

This study investigates the pollution status, spatial distribution of heavy metals including Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb, in sediments from the Longhu Lake, and evaluates possible ecological risk of these metals. Average concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were 2.1, 3.5, 8.0 and 2.5 times higher than Grade I Chinese soil quality standard respectively. The geo-accumulation index indicates that the lake sediments are moderate to heavily contaminated by Zn, Cd and Pb, which may have higher toxic effects than other metals. The potential ecological risk factor (E i r) suggests low risk to aquatic organisms except for Cd which has a considerable risk to aquatic biota. Spearman correlation and principal component analysis suggest that Mn, Zn, Cd and Pb possibly having similar anthropogenic sources and behaviors in the lake. Overall, this study suggests that anthropogenic inputs are from local point and non-point sources, runoff and atmospheric deposition.

An investigative study was conducted to determine the heavy metal pollution in the sediment in the Pra Basin of Ghana from 27 sampling points during the dry and wet seasons using the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution load index (PLI). Sediments were acid digested and analyzed for the following selected metals: arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), total chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and iron (Fe) using the dual atomizer and hydride generator atomic absorption spectrophotometer (model ASC-7000 No A309654, Shimadzu, Japan). The metal concentrations (mg kg −1) in the sediments were as follows: As (0.175) < Cd (3.206) < Ni (79.927) < Zn (118.323) < Cr (216.708) < Mn (234.742) < Pb (335.381) < Fe (1354.513) in the dry season and As (0.002) < Cd (7.279) < Ni (72.663) < Zn (35.622) < Pb (135.863) < Cr (167.604) < Mn (183.904) < Fe (1138.551) for the wet season. The EF which is an indication of whether metal concentrations are due to anthropogenic activities shows enrichment at all site for the metals Cr, Pb, and Cd in the wet seasons. However, only 4 out of the 27 sites showed Ni

Intense urbanization, large scale industrialization and unprecedented population growth in the last few decades have been responsible for lowering environmental quality. Soil contamination with metals is a serious concern due to their toxicity and ability to accumulate in the biota. The present work assessed the heavy metal contamination of agricultural soil in the close vicinity of the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) in both dry and wet seasons using different indices viz., index of geoaccumulation (I geo), contamination factor (C), degree of contamination (C), modified degree of contamination (mC d) and pollution load index (PLI). Samples were collected from the surface layer of soil and analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The trend of metals according to average concentration during the dry and wet seasons was As

Water sediments are the final repositories for natural and anthropogenic components of the ecosystem and as a result of this; there is need for constant monitoring of our environment, most importantly River sediments. This research work assesses the anthropogenic contributions of heavy metals in Elemi River sediment with the aid of statistical tools such as Enrichment factor (EF), Pollution load index (PLI) and geoaccumulation index (I geo ). The distribution patterns were in the order; Cu ˃ Zn ˃ Fe ˃ Mn ˃ Pb ˃ Cd ˃ Cr during the dry season while the wet season was in the order: Cu ˃ Zn ˃ Mn ˃ Pb ˃ Fe ˃ Cr ˃ Cd. The EF of 1.05 -4.42 reflects minor enrichment to moderately enrich for all the metals except Cu (6.83) with moderately severe enrichment. The pollution load index (PLI) and index of geo-accumulation (I geo ) reflect low and uncontamination to moderately contamination of the river sediment.

Heavy metal concentrations in sediment samples from the Tigris River were determined to evaluate the level of contamination. The highest concentrations of metals were found at the first site due to metallic wastewater discharges from copper mine plant. Sediment pollution assessment was carried out using contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF). The CF values for Co, Cu and Zn were &gt;6 in sediments of the first site, which denotes a very high contamination by these metals. The PLIs indicated that all sites except the first site were moderately polluted. Cu, Co, Zn and Pb had the highest Igeo values, respectively. The mean EF values for all metals studied except Cr and Mn were &gt;1.5 in the sediments of the Tigris River, suggesting anthropogenic impact on the metal levels in the river. The concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb are likely to result in harmful effects on sediment-dwelling organisms which are expected...

It is a well–known fact that heavy metal pollution in sediments causes serious problems not only in the Danube basin, but also in the large and small adjacent river streams. A suitable method for assessing the level of heavy metals and their toxicity in sediments is the calculation of pollution indices. The present research aims to assess heavy metal pollution in the Lower Danube surface sediments collected along the Danube course (between 180 and 60 km) up to the point where the Danube River flows into the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—UNESCO, protected area). In addition, this monitored area is one of the largest European hydrographic basins. Five heavy metals (Cd, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cu) were analyzed in two different seasons, i.e., the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019, using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP– MS) technique. Our assessment of heavy metal pollution revealed two correlated aspects...

The phytoremediation role of aquatic plants in situ is extremely important today when, due to repeated droughts and periodical shrinkage of surface water resources, the load of biogenic and toxic substances in these waters is increasing dramatically. The aim of the study was to assess the bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn and Zn) by the Groenlandia densa reintroduced in the area of its historical occurrence in the habitat of rivers characterized by Ranunculion fluitantis vegetation. Research material was collected from 3 sites in the Natura 2000 area in Western Pomerania on areas differing in anthropogenic load, from sites on streams in agricultural, urbanized and forested catchments. The study showed varying content of trace metals in Groenlandia densa. Plants and sediments collected from the site with the highest anthropogenic load, located in an urbanized catchment, contained more metals. The tolerance of Groenlandia densa to elevated Mn levels in water/sediment...

It is a well–known fact that heavy metal pollution in sediments causes serious problems not only in the Danube basin, but also in the large and small adjacent river streams. A suitable method for assessing the level of heavy metals and their toxicity in sediments is the calculation of pollution indices. The present research aims to assess heavy metal pollution in the Lower Danube surface sediments collected along the Danube course (between 180 and 60 km) up to the point where the Danube River flows into the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization—UNESCO, protected area). In addition, this monitored area is one of the largest European hydrographic basins. Five heavy metals (Cd, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cu) were analyzed in two different seasons, i.e., the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019, using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP– MS) technique. Our assessment of heavy metal pollution revealed two correlated aspects...

Heavy metal concentrations in sediment samples from the Tigris River were determined to evaluate the level of contamination. The highest concentrations of metals were found at the first site due to metallic wastewater discharges from copper mine plant. Sediment pollution assessment was carried out using contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF). The CF values for Co, Cu and Zn were &gt;6 in sediments of the first site, which denotes a very high contamination by these metals. The PLIs indicated that all sites except the first site were moderately polluted. Cu, Co, Zn and Pb had the highest Igeo values, respectively. The mean EF values for all metals studied except Cr and Mn were &gt;1.5 in the sediments of the Tigris River, suggesting anthropogenic impact on the metal levels in the river. The concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb are likely to result in harmful effects on sediment-dwelling organisms which are expected...

Intense urbanization, large scale industrialization and unprecedented population growth in the last few decades have been responsible for lowering environmental quality. Soil contamination with metals is a serious concern due to their toxicity and ability to accumulate in the biota. The present work assessed the heavy metal contamination of agricultural soil in the close vicinity of the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) in both dry and wet seasons using different indices viz., index of geoaccumulation (I geo ), contamination factor (C ), degree of contamination (C ), modified degree of contamination (mC d ) and pollution load index (PLI). Samples were collected from the surface layer of soil and analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The trend of metals according to average concentration during the dry and wet seasons was As > Fe > Hg > Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd and As > Fe > Mn > Zn > Hg > Cu > Ni > Cr > Pb > Cd, respectively. Because of seasonal rainfall, dilution and other run-off during the wet season, metals from the upper layer of soil were flushed out to some extent and hence all the indices values were lower in this season compared to that of the dry season. I geo results revealed that the study area was strongly and moderately contaminated with As and Hg in the dry and wet seasons respectively. According to C , soil was classified as moderately contaminated with Zn, Cr, Pb and Ni, considerably contaminated with Cu and highly