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Sources and Distribution of Trace Elements in Soils Near Coal-Related Industries

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Abstract

The degree of contamination of soil and the potential ecological risks associated with five different coal-burning industries were assessed in Shanxi Province, China. Results showed that the trace element concentrations in soil close to the coal industries were higher than those in the background soils, and the enrichment factors were >1. The potential ecological risk indexes ranged from 99 to 328 for the five coal-related industries. Results also illustrated that the trace elements were transported through the atmosphere. Concentrations of B, Hg, Mo, Pb, Se, Cr, Cu, Ni, V, Zn, and Mn were high in the area around the steel plant. Principal component analysis and redundancy analysis indicated that the sources of Se, Mo, Hg, Cd, As, Cr, B, Ni, and Cu were mainly anthropogenic, whereas Pb, V, Cu, Zn, and Mn were from natural sources. The soil Hg and Se contents were simulated by an artificial neural network model, which showed that Hg and Se in soils were from atmospheric deposits and their spatial distributions were related to the dominant wind direction. The potential ecological risk from Hg was much higher (one order of magnitude) than that from the other trace elements, which highlights the fact that it deserves urgent attention. Control of emissions from the burning of coal and other raw materials (such as iron and phosphate ores) should also be prioritized.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation (41271338) and major National Science and Technology Projects (2012ZX07503-003).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, No. 8 Dayangfang, Beijing, 100012, China

      Yuxian Shangguan, Yuan Wei & Hong Hou

    2. College of Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, China

      Linquan Wang

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    1. Yuxian Shangguan
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    2. Yuan Wei
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    3. Linquan Wang
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    4. Hong Hou
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    Correspondence to Hong Hou.

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    Yuxian Shangguan and Yuan Wei have contributed equally to this paper.

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    Shangguan, Y., Wei, Y., Wang, L. et al. Sources and Distribution of Trace Elements in Soils Near Coal-Related Industries. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 70, 439–451 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0232-x

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