Publication Date:
2020-09-15
Description:
Landfills are major sources of environmental pollution. This study evaluated heavy metal concentrations in soils and plants around the closed Lumberstewart landfill in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, to determine the pollution potential of a closed landfill and the risks they present to plants growing in this environment and surrounding communities. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0–30 cm, 30–60 cm, and 60–90 cm around the landfill and at a control site and characterized for various properties and concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Zn. Samples of Datura stramonium, collected from the same sites where soil samples were collected, were also analyzed for the same heavy metals. The soils were sandy, mostly acidic (5.01 Ni 〉 Cd with samples from around the landfill having higher concentrations than samples from the control site. Soil heavy metal enrichment was highest at a depth of 30–60 cm. Pollution load index (PLI) values indicated that all sites around the landfill were polluted (PLI 〉 1). Heavy metal transfer coefficient in Datura stramonium ranged between 0.0 and 209 with
Print ISSN:
1687-7667
Electronic ISSN:
1687-7675
Topics:
Geosciences
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Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
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