Trace element concentrations and background values in the arid soils of Hormozgan Province of southern Iran

Abstract

Trace element concentrations in soils of arid regions of southern Iran are described to assess the concentration ranges of selected elements in a variety of soils and rocks, and to evaluate the potential bioavailability of trace elements in relation to soil properties. The study area was classified into three sub-regions consisting of (1) shale, gypsum, and limestone (western part), (2) igneous rocks and limestone (northern part), and (3) sandstone and limestone (eastern and northeastern part). The gained background values of trace elements were used for evaluating the quality and degree of contamination with native and also with anthropogenic elements of studied soils. Some soil samples indicated a significant enrichment for Pb and Ni, with an enrichment factor (EF) of around 6.0. Soils have only been cultivated for few years compared to hundreds and thousands of years for many agricultural soils; therefore, there has been less crop removal. Furthermore, soils are not highly weathered because they are in an arid climate with low precipitation, which results in a slow rate of weathering. However, slight elemental differences between soil horizons indicated that most soils are poorly developed and also represented the similarity of trace element contents between soils and parent materials.

Chemical Composition of Suaeda vermiculata Seeds Grown in Hormozgan in the South of Iran

“…Trace element problems in agricultural soil (both deficiencies and toxicities) are associated with soil properties such as pH, soil texture, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and Fe/Mn content, which are mostly inherited from the soil parent material. More siliceous parent material will result in sandier soils with lower fertility, while mafic rocks release the greatest quantity of basic cations and, therefore, influence soil fertility 3,[5][6] . Halophyte plant species vary considerably in their nutritive value.…”

Novel Adsorption Method for Contaminated Water by Wild Endemic Almond: Amygdalus scoparia

“…The shell part of A. scoparia was soaked in phosphoric acid 2% for 24 hours and then dried at 80 ºC in an oven for 24 hours [6,7,[25][26][27][28][29]. Dry parts were then ground and passed through standard steel sieves (72 mm mesh size).…”

“…In world soil neutral or alkaline weathering environments, U, V, Mo, and Zn have high mobility, while Mn, Pb, Ba, Be, and Bi have low mobility, and Cu, Co, Fe, Ni, Th, Y have very low mobility. Otherwise, in reducing environment conditions As, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Th, U, Zn, V, and Y have a very low degree of mobility 6 . Trivalent chromium occurs widely in nature and is an essentials nutrient required by the human body to promote the action of insulin in body tissues.…”

Adsorption Heavy Metal from Contaminated Water by Modified Shell of Wild Endemic Almonds: Amygdalus lycioides and Amygdalus wendelboi

“…In world soil neutral or alkaline weathering environments, U, V, Mo, and Zn have high mobility, while Mn, Pb, Ba, Be, and Bi have low mobility, and Cu, Co, Fe, Ni, Th, Y have very low mobility. Otherwise, in reducing environment conditions As, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Th, U, Zn, V, and Y have a very low degree of mobility 5 . The vast industrial waste materials and sewages from a lot factories and different chemical fertilizers and pesticides in Tehran have caused contamination of soils 6,7 .…”

“…Amygdalus lycioides locally called "Badamak" is one of the endemic species found in some parts of Iran especially in south regions 4 . It is traditionally used as antidiabet 5 antiinflammation, antibacterial and laxative agent 6 . After removing the bitterness from the kernel oil, it could be used as edible nutritive oil.…”