Chemical Fractionation of Trace Metals in Sewage Water – Irrigated Soils

The bioavailability of trace metals, their biological uptake and ecotoxiccological effect on soil biota can be better understood in terms of their chemical fractionation. The present study examined the mobility and availability of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in sewage water – irrigated soils using sequential extraction technique as a basis for predicting metal uptake by plants. The residual fraction was the most abundant pool for all the five metals examined. A significant amount (2.7 – 70.2%) of all the five metals was also present in the potentially available fraction: - nonresidual fraction. The result further indicated that the contamination of Cd and Ni in these soils was not as severe as Pb, Cu and Zn. Assuming that mobility and bioavailability of these metals are related to their liability and geochemical forms, and that they decrease in the order of extraction sequence. The apparent mobility and potential bioavailability for these five metals in the soils were: - Pb > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cd.