Effect of fertilizer application on soil heavy metal concentration

Abstract

A large amount of chemicals is annually applied at the agricultural soils as fertilizers and pesticides. Such applications may result in the increase of heavy metals particularly Cd, Pb, and As. The objective of this study was to investigate the variability of chemical applications on Cd, Pb, and As concentrations of wheat-cultivated soils. Consequently, a study area was designed and was divided into four subareas (A, B, C, and D). The soil sampling was carried out in 40 points of cultivated durum wheat during the 2006-2007 periods. The samples were taken to the laboratory to measure their heavy metal concentration, soil texture, pH, electrical conductivity, cationic exchange capacity, organic matter, and carbonate contents. The result indicated that Cd, Pb, and As concentrations were increased in the cultivated soils due to fertilizer application. Although the statistical analysis indicates that these heavy metals increased significantly (P value<0.05), the lead and arsenic concentrations were increased dramatically compared to Cd concentration. This can be related to overapplication of fertilizers as well as the pesticides that are used to replant plant pests, herbs, and rats.

Microalgae Immobilized by Nanofibrous Web for Removal of Reactive Dyes from Wastewater

“…3 Because of the various applications of basic and reactive dyes, about 2−50% of the dyestuff is industrial wastewater and released into the environment. 4 In general, the concentration of dyes present in textile wastewater is in the range of 10−50 mg L −1 , and above the concentration of 1 mg L −1 , the dye is visible in the wastewater. 5 Such dyes can pollute bodies of water and have a profound impact by changing the biological cycles and affecting photosynthesis processes.…”

Adsorption of reactive dyes from aqueous solutions by tannery sludge developed activated carbon: Kinetic and equilibrium studies

“…Reactive dyes typically have a relatively low fixation degree on the textile substrate and the corresponding wastewaters may be highly colored. Despite the existence of a wide range of wastewater treatment techniques, there is no single process capable of adequate mineralization of colored effluents, mainly due to their complex nature (Naim and Abd, 2002;Atafar et al, 2010). A final refining treatment is required which usually involves oxidation with ozone (Hsu et al, 2001), Fenton's reactant (Ferrero, 2000) or hydrogen peroxide + UV radiation (Uygur and Kok, 1999;Fung et al, 2000), membrane separation (Ciardelli et al, 2000) or adsorption, usually on activated carbon (Walker and Weatherley, 1999).…”

Metales pesados en suelos y sedimentos de la zona cañera del sur de Quintana Roo, México

“…WenHuang y Yun-Jin (2008) hicieron un estudio sobre el estado de los MP en suelos agrícolas de la provincia de Huabei, China, afectada por diferentes patrones de uso de suelo; concluyeron que el uso excesivo de fertilizantes a base de fósforo puede conducir a la acumulación de Cd, Cu, Zn y otros MP a largo plazo. Atafar et al (2010) obtuvieron resultados similares en un estudio sobre el efecto de fertilizantes en suelos de la provincia de Kermanshash, Irán, en el cual reportaron que los fertilizantes compuestos y triple super-fosfato contenían la mayor concentración de Cd; para el Pb y As la concentración máxima se encontró en un fertilizante a base de sulfato de zinc, reportando que las concentraciones de Cd, Pb y As aumentaron en los suelos después de la aplicación de estos fertilizantes. Cheraghi et al (2012) coincidieron en que los fertilizantes a base de fosfato son fuente importante de MP ya que la materia prima de estos productos se obtiene de depósitos de fosforita que, en general, contienen altas concentraciones de Cu, Cd, Ni, Zn, Co, Pb y Mn.…”