Environmental Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil of West Quarna -2 Oil field at Basrah-Southern Iraq

Abstract

In this study, concentrations of eight heavy metals (Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, Zn, Co, Cd and Fe) were
investigated during 2016 in ten stations at West Qurna-2 oil field in Basra city Southern of Iraq. These
metals were analyzed by using Atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean values of the metals in the
soil range for : pb (18.23 -39.15), Ni (28.34-46.35), Cu (10.12-18.22), Cr (50.64-59.23), Zn (25.23-
40.48), Co (5.34-11.27), Cd (5.99-10.23) and Fe (1150.12-2185.83) ug/g dry weight. Contamination
Factor (CF), Enrichment factor (EF) and Geo accumulation index (I-geo) were computed and compared
in different stations of the soil oil field. Total concentration of metals in soil samples found to be in this
order: Fe>Cr> Ni >Zn> Pb>Cu> Co>Cd. The main reason for different in concentration could be due
to the effects of contamination caused by various activities in the oil field and the urban .Total organic
carbons and grain size analysis were also determined, and there is a good correlation between TOC and
Heavy metals. These data are a first of its kind in this important area and could be used as a baseline for
coming study in the futures.
The purpose of this study were to determine the spatial distribution of trace metals in the soil of the
West Qurna-2 oil field, and to quantify potentially ecological risk of trace metal pollution.