ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Toxicology, Pollution and the Environment
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1601205
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Soil Pollution Research: Risk Assessment and Ecosystems ManagementView all 9 articles
Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution Sources and Environmental Capacity of Typical Farmland Soils in Northwestern Zhejiang Based on the Geological Background of Black Rock Series
Provisionally accepted
- Geological Institute of China Chemical Geology and Mine Bureau, Beijing, China
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Most studies have not fully considered the impact of heavy metal pollution sources on soil environmental capacity. However, a detailed analysis of pollution sources helps to more accurately assess regional environmental capacity and its dynamic changes, providing new research ideas and theoretical support for the management, early warning, and treatment of heavy metal pollution.Changshan County in the western Zhejiang province, as an important agricultural county, has increasingly prominent soil heavy metal pollution issues with the advancement of industrialization and urbanization. However, the current situation of regional environmental capacity remains unclear. This study focuses on the black shale geological background of the county, collecting 1,788 farmland soil samples. The enrichment factor method was used to assess the enrichment levels of heavy metals in the soil, and principal component analysis and correlation analysis methods were employed to clarify the main sources of heavy metals in the farmland soil. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and geostatistical methods, the environmental capacity characteristics of farmland soil heavy metals and their spatial distribution patterns were assessed. The results show that the average concentrations of ω (Cd), ω (Hg), ω (As), ω (Pb), ω (Cr), ω (Ni), ω (Cu), and ω (Zn) in the surface soil of Changshan County's farmland are 0.53, 0.12, 15.33, 34.03, 65.87, 29.06, 30.37, and 99.77mg•kg -1 , respectively. Except for Cd, which is moderately enriched, and Cr, which is not enriched, the other heavy metals show mild enrichment characteristics. The principal component analysis results indicate that the main sources of heavy metals in the farmland soil can be divided into four categories: mixed sources, natural sources, natural and industrial sources, and industrial sources. As the primary pollutant in the region, Cd is influenced by both "natural background and human disturbance" dual sources. The static environmental capacity of heavy metals in the soil and the existing capacity rank in the same order: Cr > Zn > Pb > Ni > Cu > As > Hg > Cd. Their existing capacity average values are as follows:
Keywords: black rock series, Cultivated soil heavy metals, SOURCE APPORTIONMENT, environmental capacity, enrichment factor, spatial distribution
Received: 27 Mar 2025; Accepted: 05 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Meihua Wang, Geological Institute of China Chemical Geology and Mine Bureau, Beijing, China
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