The impact assessment of desalination plant discharges on heavy metal pollution in the coastal sediments of the Persian Gulf
In recent decades the development of desalination plants (DPs) for desalination of seawater has increased dramatically, while little attention has been paid to the effects of this activity on the accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in the sediments of affected ecosystems. The present study was impl...
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Published: |
Elsevier
2022
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Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109245/ https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0025326X22002818 |
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Summary: | In recent decades the development of desalination plants (DPs) for desalination of seawater has increased
dramatically, while little attention has been paid to the effects of this activity on the accumulation of heavy
metals (HMs) in the sediments of affected ecosystems. The present study was implemented to evaluate (1) heavy
metal accumulation in sediments impacted by DPs discharges, (2) spatial and temporal changes of HMs and the
contamination degree by different types of pollution indexes (single and integrated indices), and (3) ecological
risk assessment of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in sediments affected by DPs discharges. A
total of 288 sediment samples were collected seasonally at 24 stations from November 2019 to October 2020.
Analysis of HMs concentrations in sediments near the desalination plant discharge provided evidence of local
contamination. Maximum concentration of Cu and Pb elements were found in sediments near the desalination
plant discharge point. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed clear segregation of stations impacted by desalination plant discharges and away from discharges. The values of PLI index in sediments of all sampling stations
were < 1, indicating that there was no metal pollution by this index. The potential ecological risk index (PERI)
ranged from 5.33 ± 0.51 to 11.81 ± 4.98 in sampling sediments and were classified as “low potential ecological
risk”. These results demonstrate that the DPs discharge increased HMs concentrations in the sediments in close
proximity to outlets. The necessary and practical regulations and policies regarding the rejection of the DPs
discharge and disposal of chemical compounds must be implemented and enforced. |
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