Document Type : Original research paper
Authors
1
Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
2
Soil Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, 114 El-Zeraa Road, Zagazig 44511, Sharkia, Egypt
3
Tanta university
Abstract
Pollutants have a detrimental effect on crop quality, endangering both human health and food security in recent decades. In order to design a remediation approach that stabilizes heavy metals in contaminated soil and reduce the high concentration levels of heavy metals in the soil, an accurate estimation of the concentrations of heavy metals in Egypt's northwest Nile Delta is necessary. A geo-accumulation index (I-geo), contamination factor (CF), Pollution Load Index (PLI), and Modified Degree of Contamination (mCd) supported by GIS were used to analyse 50 surface soil samples for five heavy metals (As, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) to assess the level of soil contamination in the study area. The results demonstrate that there were notable differences in the amounts of As, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the various soil samples. There was a range of -6.60 to 0.67 for I-geo (As), -10.06 to -0.55 for I-geo (Cu), -6.68 to 1.42 for Ni, -6.68 to 1.47 for Pb, and -4.70 to -1.02 for Zn. As a result, I-geo ratings varied from severely to uncontaminated. As, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn had CF values of 0.15 to 2.401, 00.00 to 1.02, 0.01 to 4.02, 0.01 to 4.16, and 0.05 to 0.73, respectively. As a result, the CF categories in the research region vary from low contamination to very high contamination. Based on the PLI index, the study areas were categorized as moderately and unpolluted. It was found that 76.70 % of the study region was unpolluted. However, approximately 23.30%of the research area was comprised of the class with moderate contamination. According to the mCd values, the majority of the study area (57.90%) was categorized as slightly polluted, while around 42.10% of the research area was moderately contaminated. The current data show that the content of heavy metals in the soil increased because of inadequate management in the study area. The results of the spatial distribution maps of pollutants and their concentrations could serve as a foundation for the development of heavy metal mitigation plans. Mapping soil pollution can assist decision-makers develop effective heavy metal mitigation plans. The study advises implementing measures to reduce hazardous human behaviors that contribute to environmental contamination.Farm management legislation. Future study will focus on measures to minimize and mitigate the effects of soil pollution.
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