Applied Chemical Engineering

Impact of heavy metal migration from surface and groundwater to irrigated soil and wheat plants in some areas of central Iraq

Hussien Abdulhamid Al-Khafaji

Department of Soil Science and Water Resources, College of Agriculture, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Qadisiyah, 58002, Iraq

Maha Hussein Hashem

Department of Soil Science and Water Resources, College of Agriculture, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Qadisiyah, 58002, Iraq

Abbas AL-Wotaify

Department of Soil Science and Water Resources, College of Agriculture, Al-Qasim Green University, Babylon, 51013, Iraq

Haider Farhan

Department of Soil Science and Water Resources, College of Agriculture, Al-Qasim Green University, Babylon, 51013, Iraq

Raad Shahad

Department of Soil Science and Water Resources, College of Agriculture, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Qadisiyah, 58002, Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v8i4.5780

Keywords: heavy metals; soil pollution; groundwater; irrigation; environmental risk; Babylon; Iraq

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Abstract

This research investigates the deposition of heavy metals – lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) from surface water and groundwater sources to soil and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants in Babylon central Iraq region. To achieve the purpose of determining space and season variability, water, soil and wheat samples were taken in two seasons, autumn and spring Metal. Concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectro-photometry and X-ray fluorescence, and pollution indices were computed to examine the extent of pollution. The investigation found river water, particularly in autumn, to contain elevated concentrations of Pb (up to 0.82 mg/L) and Cu (up to 3.60 mg/L) above World Health Organization safety levels. Conversely, the concentrations of all the metals were extremely low in well water. River water-irrigated soil showed greater metal concentration than well water-irrigated soil, whereas the concentration of metals in wheat grains was within the permissible limit for human intake. From the research, surface water sources are widely contaminated and can represent an environmental hazard upon exposure to high levels of use for agricultural irrigation. Conversely, groundwater resources seem to offer a cleaner and longer lasting alternative to use in agriculture in this case.

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