Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Mining Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

Abstract

To assess the environmental impacts of essential and toxic elements on the 1:50000 scale map of the urban areas of Kerman city, 220 samples of residual and nonresidual soils were collected by systematic random sampling method.Based on analytical data, high values of Ca (23.6 %wt), Na (3.86 %wt), K (2.36 %wt), Li (49.18 ppm), B (65.8 ppm), and low values of Se (0.12 ppm) in residual soils indicate calcareous and silty – clayey (playa) nature of the soils around the Kerman city.Anthropogenic polluted soil samples around the gasoline stations are enriched in Pb (84 ppm), Zn (250 ppm), Rb (983 ppm), B(158 ppm). The high values of  Cu (715 ppm), Mo (4.26 ppm), Pb (10125 ppm), Zn (275 ppm), Sn (100.3 ppm),W (4.36 ppm), As (19.6 ppm) and Li (70.4 ppm) from themachinery battery and manufacture stations are noteworthy. The soil samples close to the machinery paint workingsites contain 0.38 wt% S, 205 ppm Cu, 2.69 ppm Mo, 318 ppm Pb, 310 ppm Zn, 19.3 ppm Sn, 3.25ppm W, 20.3 ppm As, 4.65 ppm Sb, 80 ppm Li and 115.4 ppm B. The high values of Zn (1903 ppm) are indicative of agricultural soils in the pistachio gardens. The soils developed on the disposal wastes include 7.58 wt% S, 392 ppm Pb, 275 ppm Zn, 26.7 ppm As, 5.32 ppm Sb, 807 ppm Rb and 651 ppm Sr, respectively. The enrichment factors follow: Pb (1358), Cu (72), Mo (8.94)and Sn (242) in soils around the machinery battery and manufacture stations, As (5.7)in soils close to gasoline stations, Zn (20.8) in agricultural soils and Sb (10.24) in rail road soils indicate thehighly polluted soils.The geoaccumulation indexes forsoilsaround themachinery battery and manufacture stations includeCu (3.96), Pb (8.18), Sn (4.48), W (2.09) and Zn(0.83) in pistachio gardensreflect the highly polluted nature of the soils.

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