Heavy metals and organic carbon contents of Kuala Ibai river estuarine sediments

Abstract

Study of heavy metals and organic carbon contents of sediment had been done at Kuala Ibai River. Two times sampling has been doing on pre monsoon and during monsoon season. The sediments were analyzed for their sedimentological characteristics (mean size, sorting, skewness and kurtosis), using dry sieve method and laser diffraction techniques. The percentage of organic carbon was used 'dichromate acid oxidation' method and detection the concentration of heavy metals are using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Element of heavy metals studied in this project are Al, Cu, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cr, Zn and Cd. The mean concentration during the pre and during the monsoon season respectively, Al are range from 1.506 and 1.257%, Cd range from 0.72 and 0.35μglg, Cr range from 43.95 and 34.50 μgig, Cu range from 3.76 and l.24μglg, Fe range from 0.847 and 0.823%, Mn range from 160.1 and 16I.05μglg, Ni range from 19.28 and 13.83μglg, Zn range from 21.58 and 15 .11 μgig. Most of the concentrations of heavy metals are low during the monsoon season compare to during the pre monsoon due to the water inflow results from the raining season. Generally, Kuala Ibai estuarine river are not polluted by the anthropogenic activities because the concentration of heavy metals at the study area are low compare to the concentration of heavy metals in the earth's crust.