Demographical identification of trace metals found in soil samples from India

Abstract

Soil complex mixture has various toxic and trace metals which helps to identify the demographical origin of the soil. The formation of soil undergoes changes due to external factors such as time, climate, parent material and biological factors such as the decay of plants, animals and microorganisms. However, there are certain elements in soil known as trace metals that are not affected by these external environmental factors. This chapter considers two approaches to these trace elements. The first highlights the usefulness of the trace elements present in the soil possessing essential nutrients whose presence in deficiency or excess affects the soil quality. Second, the analysis of this complex mixture of soil transferred from shoes, tyres of vehicles, crime scenes etc., to detect the presence of these trace elements. These are vital components in an agricultural ecosystem and help in investigative science (such as forensic soil science and preventive forensics), the analysis of which allows us to find out the origin of the soil. The soil analysis described in this chapter involves various instrumental techniques used to study the elemental composition of the soil, its morphological characteristics such as colour, consistency, texture etc., and the mineralogy of the soil. Due to the heterogeneous and complex nature of the soil, the information from this chapter can be used as a database to narrow down the objective of the subject under study. The chapter provides insights into understanding the presence of trace metals in soil, their analysis and their effects.

Chemical Speciation and Characterization of Coal Fly Ash and Soil Samples Sourced from Hendrina Power Station

“…Moreover, people living in the vicinity of C-FPPs suffer from lung diseases and cancers, eye problems and other dust-related side effects. However, Pb, Cu, As, Cr, Cd, Hg, and Zn have been listed as priority metals of public health concern due to their high degree of toxicity [10]. Agricultural lands and water reservoirs are also suffering from the leachate of this CFA due to weathering processes.…”