Comparison of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metal concentrations in soil and leaves of eucalyptus plant
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Comparison of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metal concentrations in soil and leaves of eucalyptus plants at Kirkuk, Iraq Moutaz A. Al-Dabbas & Lamyaa A. Ali & Adnan H. Afaj
Received: 24 January 2014 / Accepted: 23 June 2014 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2014
Abstract The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in the leaves of plant (eucalyptus) and the average concentrations of total heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Cd) at Kirkuk Oil Refinery and the areas around were determined in 15 selected locations using GPS. The picking up of samples were carried out on March 2011. The average concentrations of the analyzed heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Cd) in soil were 9.0, 13.1, 52.5, 71.2, and 13.3 ppm, while in eucalyptus leaves were 3.4, 6.0, 36.6, 48.5, and 11.9 ppm, respectively. The heavy metal concentration in soil and leaves in de scending ordered are Cr>Ni>Cd>Cu>Pb. The average concentrations of PAHs in soil indicate 14.6 ppb, while in the leaves of the plant eucalyptus indicate 90.3 ppb. The concentration of heavy metals and PAHs in the soil and in the leaves of plants appeared to have almost the same distribution pattern. The results of heavy metals and PAHs show distribution of concentration toward wind directions and away from the site of Kirkuk Oil Refinery, e.g., SE direction. This indicates the meteorological conditions represented by the wind direction and the rainfall, which plays an important role in distribution and deposition of pollutant metals. Keywords Plant eucalyptus leaves . Soil . Pollution . Heavy metals . PAHs . Kirkuk . Iraq M. A. Al-Dabbas (*) College of Science, University of Baghdad, Aljaderia, P.O. Box 47138, Baghdad, Iraq e-mail: [email protected] L. A. Ali : A. H. Afaj Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad, Iraq L. A. Ali e-mail: [email protected]
Introduction Determination of chemical composition of soil and plants is one of the most frequently used methods of monitoring environmental pollution. Various plants have been used as bioindicators to assess the impact of a pollution source on the vicinity which is due to high metal accumulation of plants (Lawal et al. 2011; Assadi et al. 2011). The high concentration of heavy metals in soils is reflected by higher concentrations of metals in plants (Buszewski et al. 2000). The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment largely are a product of the incomplete combustion of petroleum, oil, and coal (Li, et al. 2010). PAHs can be adsorbed not only by the soil but also by leaves and roots of plants (Hashim 2009). Eucalyptus globules are the most commonly grown forest tree species in Iraq. Its high growth rate makes it ideal as a plantation species because the rate of wood production from intensively managed plantations greatly exceeds that of native forests, and it attains heights between 25 and 35 m (Pearson 1995). Plant leaf is the most sensitive part to be affected by air pollutants as major physiological processes are concentrated in the leaf (Yap et al
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