Comparative Determination of Heavy Metals in Flower farm and Road Side Soils Collected from Holeta by Using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry
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Date
2023-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
In this study the concentration of heavy metals: Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd, Pb, Fe, Mg and Ca were
determined in soil by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). The soil samples
were collected from a flower farm (Holeta) and from the roadside around the flower farm.
After proper sample preparation, a 0.5 g of dried powdered soil sample was digested with
3ml of HNO3, 1ml of HCl at 240 0C for 2:45 hours and the concentration of the selected
heavy metals were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results
showed that the soil samples in the two sampling areas contain high amount of iron and
magnesium. As exception zinc being which is higher in the flower farm than on the road side,
the mean metal concentration (mg/kg dry weight) in both soil samples are as follows: Fe
(8807-9128) ˃ Mg (1023-1119) ˃ Mn (399-964) ˃ Ca (60-118) ˃ Zn (96.1-150.5) ˃ Cr (34-
48.54) ˃ Cu (30.5-35.6) ˃ Ni (21-33.43). A small amount of nickel was observed in both
sample sites, while cadmium and lead were below the limit of detection. The detected metals
in the present study were also compared with WHO recommended maximum permissible
limit. Fe, Mg, Mn, Ca and Zn were above the WHO standard limit, but Cu, Ni and Cr were
below the recommended permissible limit.At 95% confidence level between the two samples
collected from the two sample sites the value obtained from ANOVA indicates that there is a
significant difference among the mean concentrations of all the selected metals (P˂0.05).
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Keywords
Soil, Heavy Metal, Environmental Pollution, Pesticides, Fertilizer, Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS)