Assessment of heavy metal pollution in sediments around Zinc Industrial Park of Zanjan, Northwest of Iran

Soil has a valuable function in the environment; as the growth, fertility, nutrition and health of plants, animals, humans depend on soil quality. The purpose of this study is to zoning the spatial distribution of concentrations of heavy elements from the ground to a depth of ۳۰ cm in the soils of a research zone in the lead and zinc industrial town, around the western part of Zanjan, Iran. For this purpose, a total of ۱۶ samples (surface and deep) were collected by random sampling. In soil samples, the concentration of heavy elements and their distribution were investigated. Based on the average concentration of heavy elements in topsoils, the order of elements is as follows. Al> Zn> Ar> Cd> Co> Cu> Pb> Ni> V> Cr> Mn> Sb> Mo> V> Se Furthermore, the highest average concentration of heavy elements in the study area is dependent on the element aluminum and zinc and the lowest concentration is dependent on selenium. By calculating the concentration of heavy elements with international standards, it was found that the concentrations of zinc, cadmium, arsenic and lead in the soils around Zanjan lead and zinc industrial town are outside the standard range. Large amounts of lead and zinc in sampling stations are due to the accumulation of unprocessed waste.

Keywords:

Heavy Elements , Statistics , Kriging , Soil Contamination , Soil Texture , Zanjan