Assessment of heavy metal pollution of plants grown adjacent to power generators in Ramadi city

Abstract

Tree leaves are a useful tool for environmental quality monitoring and heavy metal soil pollution assessment. This study aimed to assess the possibility of heavy metals’ accumulation in the leaves of urban plants as a biological indicator of soil pollution. The plant leaf and soil samples were collected from 51 sites adjacent to power generators in Ramadi-Iraq. Six common plant species, namely, Albizia lebbeck, Conocarpus lancifolius, Dodonaea viscosa, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Ficus microcarpa, and Ziziphus spina-christi were selected. The highest heavy metal content was found in Conocarpus viscosa leaves followed by Dodonaea viscosa . These two plants have a significant difference (p<0.05) in the heavy metal content compared to other plants. The total average of plant heavy metal concentration was as follows: Mn (45.23), Cu (12.49), Ni (7.55), Pb (6.49), Cr (6.37), Co (2.04), Cd (0.57) mg per kg. Concentrations of heavy metals in leaves have the trend as Mn> Cu> Ni> Pb> Cr> Co> Cd, whereas, the heavy metal bioaccumulation factor (ACF) in plants follows by the order: Zn> Cu> Cd> Mn> Co> Pb> Ni> Cr. A high concentration of cobalt, cadmium, chromium, nickel, and lead are found in the plant leaves compared to the Food and Agriculture Organization / World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) permissible values. This supports the claim that the leaves of the plant can be used as a good indicator of heavy metal accumulation.

Vegetative Growth Responses of Castor (Ricinus communis) and Senna (Senna occidentalis) to Low Dose Zinc (Zn) Spiking of Agricultural Soil in Kano, Northern Nigeria

“…Lack of significant differences in most of the parameters assessed in both plants could be because at low doses, Zinc is an enhancer of growth rather than inhibitor. Heavy metals such as Zn are essential for plant and cellular biochemistry being DalCorso et al, (2019), they are involved in cell protection, gene regulation, reproduction, and tolerance to environmental stresses Al-Heety et al, (2021). This perhaps further explains why all the plants thrived till the termination of the experiment, three months after planting.…”

Health risks and environmental assessments of heavy metals in road dust of Ramadi, Iraq

“…Heavy Metals RI dermal adsorption were used to determine the hazard index (HI) for each studied metal (Dong et al, 2020;Mihankhah et al, 2020;Al-Heety et al, 2021b).…”

Removal of heavy metal ions from water using nanocellulose-based membranes derived from macroalgae Chara corallina

“…Heavy metals enter soil and water via natural processes like weathering and rock erosion, in addition to anthropogenic sources, including waste disposal, industrial and mining operations, the application of fertilizers and pesticides, and urban and industrial activities (Rosariastuti et al, 2018;Badariah et al, 2023). Heavy metal pollution refers to the presence of any metallic chemical species in high densities that can be toxic in very low quantities (AL-Heety et al, 2021b). Wastewater from industries such as tanneries, mining operations, and metal plating contains heavy metals as pollutants, which can be lethal (Le et al, 2023).…”