Determination of the Spread of Heavy Metal from Ori-Ile Battery Waste Dumpsite Using Electrical Resistivity Method

Abstract

Contaminants from waste dumpsites have become sources of concern. Disposed wastes (Heavy metal) from battery industries could contaminate soil, agricultural plants, and groundwater. Therefore, this study aimed at the determination of the migration of heavy metal (Lead) from a Battery Waste Dumpsite using the electrical resistivity method. Using Schlumberger array, fifteen (15) Vertical Electrical Soundings (VES) were carried out around a Battery Waste Dumpsite in Ori –Ile, Ikumapaiyi at Olodo community, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Preliminary analyses of VES data were performed and were fed into software (WINRESIST 1.0) for qualitative interpretation to reveal apparent resistivity values, the number of layers, and thickness. Three and four layers of topsoil, sandy-clayed, weathered/fractured basement, and basement were obtained. Various values of lowest apparent resistivity and depths of penetration of leached lead on the four sides of the battery waste dumpsite were obtained. The lowest apparent resistivity values obtained were converted to apparent conductivity and plotted against the distance of each VES point. Five collected water samples from available hand-dug wells around the dumpsite were analyzed for the presence of lead using an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Graph of apparent conductivity against VES distance indicated a decrease in conductivities with distance, an indication of reduction of Concentration of lead with distance. The level of Lead ranged from 0.081 to 0.770 mg/L which was above the tolerance level of 0.01 mg/L of WHO and SON, an indication of heavy metal pollution in groundwater. This study has established that lead ions were present in groundwater and had spread to a distance of 80 m from the battery waste dumpsite and were more pronounced on the southern region of the dumpsite.