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Enrichment pattern of leachable trace metals in roadside soils of Miri City, Eastern Malaysia

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Abstract

This article presents the results on distribution and enrichment pattern of acid-leachable trace metals (ALTMs) from roadside soil of Miri city, Sarawak, East Malaysia. The city is one of the fastest developing in the Malaysian region with huge petroleum resources. ALTMs Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn and Cd along with organic carbon and carbonates (CaCO3) were analyzed in 37 soil sediments collected from roadside. The enrichment of ALTMs [especially Cu (0.4–13.1 μg g−1), Zn (9.3–70.7 μg g−1), Pb (13.8–99.1 μg g−1)] in the roadside soils indicate that these metals are mainly derived from sources related to traffic exhausts, forest fires and oil refineries. The comparative study and enrichment pattern of elements indicates that Mn, Cu, Zn and Pb are enriched multi-fold than the unpolluted soil and Ni, Pb, Cd in some samples compared to Sediment Quality Guidelines like Lowest Effect Level (LEL) and Effects Range Low (ERL) in the region which is mainly due to the recent industrial developments in the region.

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Acknowledgments

The first author thanks Dr. Dominique for her suggestions during the study. MPJ wishes to thank IPN (EDD, EDI and COFAA), México for their support. PDR thanks proveduria, UNAM; and MPJ and PDR are thankful for the support by SNI-CONACyT, Mexico. This work is dedicated to Dr. Manuel Navaratte Lopez, Professor, School of Biological Sciences, IPN who passed away during Sep 2013 and was also one of the coauthors in this article when it was submitted to the Journal. This article is the 77th contribution from Earth System Science Group (ESSG), Chennai, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Geology, School of Engineering and Science, Curtin University, CDT 250, 98009, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia

    R. Nagarajan & M. V. Prasanna

  2. Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Calle 30 de Junio de 1520, Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07340, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

    M. P. Jonathan

  3. Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

    Priyadarsi D. Roy

  4. Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science & Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    A. Elayaraja

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  1. R. Nagarajan
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Correspondence to M. P. Jonathan.

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Nagarajan, R., Jonathan, M.P., Roy, P.D. et al. Enrichment pattern of leachable trace metals in roadside soils of Miri City, Eastern Malaysia. Environ Earth Sci 72, 1765–1773 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3080-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3080-5

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