Source Identification and Apportionment of Potential Toxic Elements in Soils in an Eastern Industrial City, China

Feng Li, Mingtao Xiang, Shiying Yu, Fang Xia, Yan Li and Zhou Shi
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Feng Li: College of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Mingtao Xiang: Institute of Land Science and Property, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Shiying Yu: Institute of Land Science and Property, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Fang Xia: College of Economics and Management, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Yan Li: Institute of Land Science and Property, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Zhou Shi: Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou 310058, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: The extensive pattern of economic growth has an inestimable negative impact on the ecological environment, which causes the soil pollution problem to become increasingly prominent. In order to improve the effectiveness and rationality of prevention and control of heavy metal pollution in regional soil, it is necessary to understand the current situation of pollution, identify pollution sources and clarify future pollution risks. In this paper, an industrially developed city in eastern China was taken as the study region. The positive matrix factorization model (PMF) model and Unmix model was applied to identify and apportion the pollution sources of soil potential toxic elements after evaluating the ecological risk of soil potential toxic elements. The PMF model identified six factors, including single source and composite source. The Unmix model also identified six sources, including sources of nature, industrial discharge and traffic emissions. The comparison between the two models showed that Hg and Ni pollution, as well as Cr enrichment in the study region, were related to the industrial discharge from enterprises and factories. Cd pollution was related to traffic emission sources. Cu and Zn pollution were related to the multiple sources mixed with soil parent material, traffic emissions and industrial discharge from electronic enterprises. Pb pollution was related to natural sources (e.g., soil pH) but also to industrial sources (e.g., industrial wastes discharge). Enrichment was related to soil parent material and agricultural inputs. Our study also implies that soil heavy metal pollution or enrichment in the study region was mainly from anthropogenic sources and supplemented by natural sources.

Keywords: potential toxic elements; source identification; source apportionment; PMF; Unmix; industrial city (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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