Vertical and Horizontal Variability of Lead and Nicel in Zobahan Industrial District, Isfahan

آب و خاک

Article 13, Volume 27, Issue 2, May 2013, Pages 394-405   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jsw.v0i0.24366

Authors

salman naimi marandi^* ; shamsollah Ayoubi; H. Khademi

Abstract

Soil pollution by heavy metals from the manufacturing process due to metal smelting plants closely related to human health is very important. Given the importance of the province to industrial and agricultural activities, this study was conducted to explore the vertical and horizontal variability of lead and nickcl metals in contaminated soils around the Zobahan melting factory, in nearby of Isfahan city. For this purpose, 202 profiles were dug and described in the green landscapes of Zobahan industrial site by a manner of gird sampling method. Five hundred soil samples were taken from depths of 0–30, 60–90, and 120–150 cm. Conccntration of total lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) were measured in the soil samples. To explore the vertical distribution of selected metals, the mean values of Ni and Pb were compared statistically. The horizontal variability of selected metals was evaluated by variography analysis and the spatial distributions of them were constructed by kriging method. The overall results of study showed that Pb content in surface horizons is controlled by industrial activity, otherwise the concentration of Ni mainly attributed to parent material.

Keywords

Heavy metals; Contamination factors; Steel mill; Spatial variability; Geostatistics