Critical load model and pollution indices application for water–soil–plant system assessment around El-Hammam canal, East El-Alamein, Egypt
2021
Elnazer, A. A. | Salman, S. A.
El-Hammam canal, East El-Alamein City, is one of the national sustainable projects for facing food shortage in Egypt. The current work was conducted to evaluate the water–soil–plant system quality concerning potential toxic elements (PTEs) in this area. Surface water, soil and fruit samples were collected and analyzed for their content of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb. The studied soils are sandy calcareous alkaline soil with low organic matter content. The potential ecological risk index (PERI) indicated that most soils were of very high PERI owing to the elevated Cd and to less extent As and Ni. Unfortunately, most of the recorded Cd and Pb appeared in the bioavailable fraction. The studied water samples contained acceptable levels of ions for irrigation, except Cd, Cu and Ni. Both apple and peach contained acceptable concentrations of PTEs, except peach that contains an elevated level of As. It was observed that the concentration of PTEs in peach was higher than the apple. The bio-concentration factor values of PTEs in apple and peach indicated that fruits were excluders of the PTEs. The study area contains critical loads of the studied PTEs, especially As, Cr and Ni, which mostly attributed to the plant uptake of PTEs. The uptake of plants (harvested part) of these toxic elements can be cause of many health problems. Pesticide sprays may be the source of these elements leaching on plant surfaces. Finally, the study area content of PTEs can be attributed to the polluted irrigation water and agrochemical.
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