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Assessment of contaminated sediment by phosphate fertilizer industrial waste using pollution indices and statistical techniques in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia)

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Abstract

On July 2010, 26 surface sediments of the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia were sampled at depth ranging from 0.5 to 10 m. These specimens were analyzed to determine Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, F, P, and N concentrations and total organic carbon contents. The distribution map shows that the high amounts of pollutants are principally located between the commercial harbor and the fishing harbor of Gabes. Measurements of heavy metal contents were carried out using (absorption atomic spectrometer), where the enrichment factor (EF), the geoaccumulation index (I geo), and the contamination index (CI) are determined. The EF values of all metals were >1.5, corroborate anthropogenic impact on the metal levels in this studied area. However, the I geo and CI values of Cd and Zn elements indicated that sediments collected from sites at the vicinity of the commercial harbor are very contaminated, although for Pb, Cr, and Cu elements these indices indicated that the same sediments are uncontaminated. Statistical analyses (principal component analysis/factor analysis and matrix correlation) show that heavy metals, fluoride, and phosphorus are resulting from the same anthropogenic source.

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Acknowledgments

Authors would like to knowledge NATO SfP project members at L3E-ENIS for the help in the analysis of metallic element by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Authors also would like to thank anonymous reviewers for their critical revision, which greatly helped to improve this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Engineering School of Sfax, Laboratory Water, Energy and Environment L3E, Route de Soukra Km4.5 BP W, 3038, Sfax, Tunisia

    Najla Ayadi, Fatma Aloulou & Jalel Bouzid

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  1. Najla Ayadi
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  2. Fatma Aloulou
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  3. Jalel Bouzid
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Correspondence to Najla Ayadi.

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Ayadi, N., Aloulou, F. & Bouzid, J. Assessment of contaminated sediment by phosphate fertilizer industrial waste using pollution indices and statistical techniques in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia). Arab J Geosci 8, 1755–1767 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1291-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1291-4

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