TITLE:
Distribution and Characterization of Heavy Metal and Pollution Indices in Landfill Soil for Its Rehabilitation by Phytoremediation
AUTHORS:
Kraidy N’gattah Barthélémy Armel, Bolou Bi Bolou Emile, Allou Kouassi Daniel
KEYWORDS:
Municipal Landfill, Soil, Heavy Metals, Pollution, Bonoua, Ivory Coast
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.10 No.1,
January
26,
2022
ABSTRACT: Population growth associated with urban development in African cities is a
key environmental concern in development programs. Indeed, urban areas are strongly
impacted by the production of municipal waste, the management of which remains problematic
and is only stored in open dumps. This is the case in the city of Bonoua, a small
town located 59 km east of Abidjan in the South Comoé region of Côte d’Ivoire. The
management of municipal waste in this town is crucial because all the mineral water
sources are concentrated in this town. The objective of this study is to characterize
and map the distribution of trace metal elements in the largest urban landfill in
the city in order to propose an efficient strategy for rehabilitation into an urban
park. Soil samples were collected from the entire site (landfill and surrounding
soil) and from a control site. The total content of trace metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, and
Zn) in the soil was analyzed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). Soil pollution
was evaluated through enrichment factors, geoaccumulation indices and pollution
indices. The results show that the calculated geoaccumulation indices and their
distribution maps indicate a pollution of the site in these elements. The values
of the PI higher than the unit reveal a pollution of the site in several elements.
The levels of Pb, Cd, Cr and Zn are higher than the levels in the upper continental
crust and in the control soil. The spatial distribution shows a significant accumulation
of Pb, Cr and Zn on the landfill while Cd is concentrated in the surrounding soils.
The calculated enrichment factors suggest an anthropogenic origin of the heavy metal
at the study site. These results indicate polymetallic pollution by metals that
can persist in the environment and affect human health.