Positive Matrix Factorization as Source Apportionment of Paddy Soil Heavy Metals in Black Shale Areas in Western Zhejiang Province, China

Changyan Xu, Xinzhe Lu (), Chunlei Huang, Rui Sun, Anqing Gu, Weifeng Pan, Li He, Jiayu Bao, Ruosong Zou, Cheng Fu and Zihua Cai ()
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Changyan Xu: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China
Xinzhe Lu: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China
Chunlei Huang: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China
Rui Sun: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China
Anqing Gu: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China
Weifeng Pan: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China
Li He: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China
Jiayu Bao: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China
Ruosong Zou: School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Cheng Fu: School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Zihua Cai: Technology Innovation Center of Ecological Evaluation and Remediation of Agricultural Land in Plain Area, MNR, Hangzhou 311200, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: The source apportionment of pollutants is the key to preventing and controlling the pollution caused by heavy metals in soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the main sources of heavy metals in the soils of black shale areas in western Zhejiang, China. Based on geostatistical spatial analysis, this research employed positive matrix factorization (PMF) for the source apportionment of heavy metals in paddy soil. The results showed that contaminated arable soils were concentrated in the western and southern study areas. At least five major sources of heavy metals were screened in this study: natural sources (39.66%), traffic emissions (32.85%), industrial emissions (9.23%), agricultural activities (9.17%), and mining (9.10%). To be specific, Cd was mainly from mining; As originated from agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides; and Hg, as an industrial pollutant, was transported by atmospheric deposition in the study area. The accumulation of Pb, Zn, and Cu was mainly influenced by natural sources and anthropogenic sources, i.e., traffic emissions, while that of Cr and Ni was controlled by natural sources.

Keywords: paddy soils; heavy metals; PMF model; source apportionment; black shale series (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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