Source Apportionment and Geographic Distribution of Heavy Metals and as in Soils and Vegetables Using Kriging Interpolation and Positive Matrix Factorization Analysis

Huiyue Su, Yueming Hu, Lu Wang, Huan Yu, Bo Li and Jiangchuan Liu
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Huiyue Su: College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yueming Hu: College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Lu Wang: College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Huan Yu: College of Earth Sciences, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Bo Li: South China Academy of Natural Resources Science and Technology, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jiangchuan Liu: South China Academy of Natural Resources Science and Technology, Guangzhou 510642, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Food security and cultivated land utilization can be seriously affected by heavy metal (HM) pollution of the soil. Therefore, identifying the pollution sources of farmland is the way to control soil pollution and enhance soil quality effectively. In this research, 95 surface soil samples, 34 vegetable samples, 27 irrigation water samples, and 20 fertilizer samples were collected from the Wuqing District of Tianjin City, China and was used to determine their HMs accumulation and potential ecological risks. Then, kriging interpolation and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were utilized to identify the sources of soil HMs. The results indicated that soil HMs in the study area were contaminated at a medium level, but that the pollution of Cd was more severe, and the Cd content in vegetables was slightly higher than the permissible threshold (0.02 mg·kg −1 ). Furthermore, a non-homogeneous distribution was observed, with higher concentrations of HM contaminants concentrated in the southwest of the study area, where many metal manufacturing industries are located. Our results suggest that the Cd originated from industrial activity; As and Pb from agricultural practices; Ni, Cu, Cr, and As mainly from natural sources; Zn and Cu from organic fertilizer; Pb and Cd mainly from traffic discharge; and Cr, Ni, and Pb from sewage irrigation. Obviously, the accumulation of soil HMs in the study area could be mainly attributed to industrial activities, implying the need for implementation of government strategies to reduce industrial point-source pollution.

Keywords: heavy metal; soil; vegetable; source apportionment; positive matrix factorization model (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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