IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v15y2018i9p1838-d165761.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Risk Assessment and Source Identification of Toxic Metals in the Agricultural Soil around a Pb/Zn Mining and Smelting Area in Southwest China

Author

Listed:
  • Jinnan Wu

    (Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Information System of Mountainous Areas and Protection of Ecological Environment, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China)

  • Jian Long

    (Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Information System of Mountainous Areas and Protection of Ecological Environment, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China)

  • Lingfei Liu

    (Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Information System of Mountainous Areas and Protection of Ecological Environment, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China)

  • Juan Li

    (Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China)

  • Hongkai Liao

    (Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Information System of Mountainous Areas and Protection of Ecological Environment, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China)

  • Mingjiang Zhang

    (Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Information System of Mountainous Areas and Protection of Ecological Environment, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China)

  • Chang Zhao

    (Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Information System of Mountainous Areas and Protection of Ecological Environment, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China)

  • Qiusheng Wu

    (Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Information System of Mountainous Areas and Protection of Ecological Environment, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China)

Abstract

Mining and smelting activities are the primary sources of toxic metal pollution in China. The purpose of this study was to investigate the pollution risk and identify sources of metals in the arable soil of a Zn/Pb mining and smelting district located in Huize, in Southwest China. Topsoil (346) and profile (three) samples were collected and analyzed to determine the total concentrations of eight toxic elements (Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ni). The results showed that the mean Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ni concentrations were 9.07, 0.37, 25.0, 512, 88.7, 239, 1761 and 90.3 mg/kg, respectively, all of which exceeded both the Huize and Yunnan soil background levels. Overall the topsoil was quite acidic, with a mean pH of 5.51. The mean geoaccumulation index ( Igeo ) revealed that the pollution level was in the order of Pb > Zn > Cd > Hg > As > Ni > Cu > Cr. The ecological risk index ( E i ) indicated that there were serious contamination risks for Cd and Hg, high risk for Pb, moderate risk for As, and Cd and Hg were the dominant contributors to the high combined ecological risk index ( E r ) with a mean parameter of 699 meaning a serious ecological risk. The Nemerow pollution index ( P n ) showed that 99.1% of soil samples were highly polluted or worse. Horizontally, high concentrations of Cd, Hg, As, Pb and Zn appeared in the north and middle of the study area, while Cr, Cu and Ni showed an opposite trend. Vertically, as the depth increased, Cd, Hg, As, Pb and Zn contents declined, but Cr, Cu and Ni exhibited an increasing trend. The mobilities of the metals were in the order of Zn > Cd > Hg > As > Pb. Horizontal and vertical distribution, coupled with correlation analysis, PCA and CA suggested that Cd, Hg, As, Pb and Zn mainly came from the anthropogenic sources, whereas Cr and Ni had a lithogenic origin. The source of Cu was a combination of the presence of parent materials as well as human activities. This study provides a base for the local government to control the toxic metal pollution and restore the soil environment system and an effective method to identify the sources of the studied pollutants.

Suggested Citation

  • Jinnan Wu & Jian Long & Lingfei Liu & Juan Li & Hongkai Liao & Mingjiang Zhang & Chang Zhao & Qiusheng Wu, 2018. "Risk Assessment and Source Identification of Toxic Metals in the Agricultural Soil around a Pb/Zn Mining and Smelting Area in Southwest China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-19, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:9:p:1838-:d:165761
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/9/1838/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/9/1838/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xiangbin Kong, 2014. "China must protect high-quality arable land," Nature, Nature, vol. 506(7486), pages 7-7, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jolanta Korzeniowska & Ewa Stanislawska-Glubiak, 2024. "The Suitability of Several Grasses for the Remediation of Hotspots Affected by Cadmium Contamination," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Ziruo Zhou & Chi Peng & Xu Liu & Zhichao Jiang & Zhaohui Guo & Xiyuan Xiao, 2022. "Pollution and Risk Assessments of Heavy Metal(loid)s in the Soil around Lead-Zinc Smelteries via Data Integration Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xing Liu & Zhaoyang Cai & Yan Xu & Huihui Zheng & Kaige Wang & Fengrong Zhang, 2022. "Suitability Evaluation of Cultivated Land Reserved Resources in Arid Areas Based on Regional Water Balance," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(4), pages 1463-1479, March.
    2. Dan Lu & Yahui Wang & Qingyuan Yang & Huiyan He & Kangchuan Su, 2019. "Exploring a Moderate Fallow Scale of Cultivated Land in China from the Perspective of Food Security," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Min Xu & Chunyang He & Zhifeng Liu & Yinyin Dou, 2016. "How Did Urban Land Expand in China between 1992 and 2015? A Multi-Scale Landscape Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Dang, Yuxuan & Zhao, Zhenting & Kong, Xiangbin & Lei, Ming & Liao, Yubo & Xie, Zhen & Song, Wei, 2023. "Discerning the process of cultivated land governance transition in China since the reform and opening-up-- Based on the multiple streams framework," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    5. Lijuan Miao & Feng Zhu & Zhanli Sun & John C. Moore & Xuefeng Cui, 2016. "China’s Land-Use Changes during the Past 300 Years: A Historical Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Shangan Ke & Yueqi Wu & Haiying Cui & Xinhai Lu & Kun Ge & Danling Chen, 2021. "The Temporal-Spatial Pattern and Coupling Coordination of the Green Transition of Farmland Use: Evidence from Hubei Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-15, October.
    7. Huwei Wen & Zisong Zeng, 2024. "Impact of Non-Agricultural Employment on Food Security in China’s Old Revolutionary Base Areas," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, May.
    8. Xue Wang, 2022. "Changes in Cultivated Land Loss and Landscape Fragmentation in China from 2000 to 2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-16, May.
    9. Qiu, Bingwen & Jian, Zeyu & Yang, Peng & Tang, Zhenghong & Zhu, Xiaolin & Duan, Mingjie & Yu, Qiangyi & Chen, Xuehong & Zhang, Miao & Tu, Ping & Xu, Weiming & Zhao, Zhiyuan, 2024. "Unveiling grain production patterns in China (2005–2020) towards targeted sustainable intensification," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    10. Chen, Xin & Yu, Le & Du, Zhenrong & Liu, Zhu & Qi, Yuan & Liu, Tao & Gong, Peng, 2022. "Toward sustainable land use in China: A perspective on China’s national land surveys," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    11. Hui Ju & Qin Liu & Yingchun Li & Xiaoxu Long & Zhongwei Liu & Erda Lin, 2020. "Multi-Stakeholder Efforts to Adapt to Climate Change in China’s Agricultural Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-16, September.
    12. Jian Chen & Kai Wang & Yingqiang Yuan & Peiyao Li & Lixin Niu & Jiangning Song & Yanlong Zhang, 2024. "Spatial–Temporal Evolution Analysis of the Development of Jingdang and Famen Townships in the Vicinity of the Capital City Site of the Western Zhou Dynasty in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-17, February.
    13. Quanfeng Li & Wenhao Guo & Xiaobing Sun & Aizheng Yang & Shijin Qu & Wenfeng Chi, 2021. "The Differentiation in Cultivated Land Quality between Modern Agricultural Areas and Traditional Agricultural Areas: Evidence from Northeast China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-15, August.
    14. Sijing Ye & Changqing Song & Yakov Kuzyakov & Feng Cheng & Xiangbin Kong & Zhe Feng & Peichao Gao, 2022. "Preface: Arable Land Quality: Observation, Estimation, Optimization, and Application," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-5, June.
    15. Yongzhong Tan & Hang Chen & Kuan Lian & Zhenning Yu, 2020. "Comprehensive Evaluation of Cultivated Land Quality at County Scale: A Case Study of Shengzhou, Zhejiang Province, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-15, February.
    16. Meng Wang & Qingchen Xu & Zemeng Fan & Xiaofang Sun, 2021. "The Imprint of Built-Up Land Expansion on Cropland Distribution and Productivity in Shandong Province," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-12, June.
    17. Xigui Li & Qing Wu & Yujie Liu, 2023. "Spatiotemporal Changes of Cultivated Land System Health Based on PSR-VOR Model—A Case Study of the Two Lake Plains, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-28, January.
    18. Ziwei Liu & Mingchang Wang & Xingnan Liu & Fengyan Wang & Xiaoyan Li & Jianguo Wang & Guanglei Hou & Shijun Zhao, 2023. "Ecological Security Assessment and Warning of Cultivated Land Quality in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, May.
    19. Aiqi Chen & Huaxiang He & Jin Wang & Mu Li & Qingchun Guan & Jinmin Hao, 2019. "A Study on the Arable Land Demand for Food Security in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-15, September.
    20. Hu, Yuan & Kuhn, Lena & Zeng, Weizhong & Glauben, Thomas, 2023. "Who benefits from payments for ecosystem services? Policy lessons from a forest carbon sink program in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:9:p:1838-:d:165761. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.