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Distribution, fractionation, and contamination assessment of heavy metals in paddy soil related to acid mine drainage

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Abstract

Soil heavy metal contamination is a major environmental concern, especially soil affected by acid mine drainage (AMD), and attention about potential ecological risk associated with heavy metals is increasing. Heavy metal contents of soil samples collected from 6 sites alongside Hengshi River were analyzed to investigate the contamination degree of heavy metal in paddy soil irrigated with AMD. Fractional distribution of heavy metal and the potential ecological risks (E r) of the polluted soil were discussed as well. The results showed that Cu, Zn, and Cd in topsoil were 2.5–7.5, 1–2.1, and 2.2–5.5 times, respectively, exceeding the maximum allowable concentrations for Chinese agricultural soil. The single (P) and the comprehensive (P N ) factor pollution index revealed that the contamination degree followed the sequence of Cd > Cu > Zn > Pb. Furthermore, Pb, Cu, and Zn in vertical soil profiles reduced as soil depth increased, while Ni and Cd increased with the depth increasing slightly. Results of European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure indicated that the non-residual form of Pb, Cu, and Cd were pretty high in spatial variation, suggesting they were potentially mobilizable and bioavailable. Results implied that the order of the Er of heavy metals was Cd > Pb > Cu > Ni > Zn > Cr; the Er in Wengcheng (S9) and Xuwu (S10) were 353.30 and 327.60, which were considered as very high ecological risk. Thus, some effective measures should be taken to prevent heavy metal from polluting paddy soil and to reduce metal translocation from soil to edible crops.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41330639), the National Key Technology Support Program (No. 2015BAD05B05), the Guangdong Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar (No. 2015A030306005), and the Science and Technology Program of Guangdong Province (No. 2014A020216004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Lu Qu, Yingying Xie, Guining Lu, Chengfang Yang, Xiaoyun Yi & Zhi Dang

  2. The Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Guining Lu, Xiaoyun Yi & Zhi Dang

  3. Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Environmental Risk Prevention and Emergency Disposal, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Guining Lu

  4. South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Guangzhou, 510655, China

    Jiannin Zhou

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  1. Lu Qu
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  2. Yingying Xie
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  3. Guining Lu
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  4. Chengfang Yang
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  5. Jiannin Zhou
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  7. Zhi Dang
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Correspondence to Guining Lu or Zhi Dang.

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Qu, L., Xie, Y., Lu, G. et al. Distribution, fractionation, and contamination assessment of heavy metals in paddy soil related to acid mine drainage. Paddy Water Environ 15, 553–562 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-016-0572-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-016-0572-9

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