POLLUTION POTENTIAL AND CHEMICAL INTERACTION OF SOME PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS OF SOIL CONTAMINATED WITH E-WASTE

Abstract

The rapid increase in the amount of electronic waste in our environment is of great concern. This study investigated the contamination level, pollution potential and chemical interaction of cation exchange capacity (CEC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), total organic matter (TOM) and pH, on soil contaminated with electronic waste and background soil (unpolluted soil). It was found that CEC has the highest pollution values, which range from 194,616.00(10-20 cm)- 221,024.760 mg/kg (0-10 cm) for the polluted soil, which show a remarkable variation from the background soil. The TN value range from 139.257 -185.654 mg/kg across depths. The values of EC on polluted soil ranged from 0.260 – 0.746 mg/kg across depths. While that of TOC and TOM, ranged from 4,250.00 – 5,800.000 mg/kg and 8,300.000 – 10,000.000 mg/kg across depths, the values of pH for the polluted soil also ranged from 6.2 – 7.1 across depths. The pollution potential also showed high values across depths, the TOM, which ranged from 48.473 – 61.450 and TOC are almost of the same ranged with the TOM. The TN and TP were very low and the EC exerted negative pollution potential in all the depths. The chemical interaction showed high values in TN which ranged from 12,776.708 - 9,419.512 across depths, followed by TP and CEC which also display high values, but lower than that of TN. The EC values were low, which ranged from 1.620 – 5.984 across depths. The TOC and TOM were very low when compared to the rest parameter in the chemical interaction. The high values obtained in some of the parameters compared with the standard values, call for need for strict monitoring of the disposal of e-waste in our environment.