Determination of the Concentrations of Some Trace Elements (Uranium, Arsenic, Beryllium, and Vanadium) in Water and Sediments of Shatt Al-Arab River- Southern Iraq

Abstract

The current study included two sites in the middle part of Shatt Al-Arab-Southern Iraq (Al-Ashar and Al-Deir sites), the concentrations of trace elements which represented by Uranium, Arsenic, Beryllium and Vanadium were measured in water and sediments of four seasons from autumn 2018 to summer 2019. The concentrations of trace elements showed variations at the level of significance in the water and sediments, Uranium recorded its highest concentration in the study water (6.1U / l) at the spring of Al-Deir site. While its highest concentrations in sediments reached (2.4 mg / kg) at Al-Ashar site, moreover the highest concentration of Arsenic in water was (4.2U / l) at autumn of Al-Deir site and (6.1 mg/kg) for sediments at Al-Ashar site, as well as the concentration of Beryllium was below the detection limit (BDL) in water, while its highest concentration in sediments was recorded (1.1 mg/kg) as well as the highest concentration of Vanadium was (8.4U/l) in water and (87 mg/kg) in sediments.