Author(s)

Kraidy N’gattah Barthélémy Armel, Bolou Bi Bolou Emile^*, Allou Kouassi Daniel

Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Unité de Formation et Recherche des Sciences de la Terre et des Ressources Minières, Laboratoire des Sciences du Sol, de l’Eau et des Géomatériaux (LSSEG), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Population growth associated with urban development in African cities is a key environmental concern in development programs. Indeed, urban areas are strongly impacted by the production of municipal waste, the management of which remains problematic and is only stored in open dumps. This is the case in the city of Bonoua, a small town located 59 km east of Abidjan in the South Comoé region of Côte d’Ivoire. The management of municipal waste in this town is crucial because all the mineral water sources are concentrated in this town. The objective of this study is to characterize and map the distribution of trace metal elements in the largest urban landfill in the city in order to propose an efficient strategy for rehabilitation into an urban park. Soil samples were collected from the entire site (landfill and surrounding soil) and from a control site. The total content of trace metals (Pb, Cd, Cr, and Zn) in the soil was analyzed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). Soil pollution was evaluated through enrichment factors, geoaccumulation indices and pollution indices. The results show that the calculated geoaccumulation indices and their distribution maps indicate a pollution of the site in these elements. The values of the PI higher than the unit reveal a pollution of the site in several elements. The levels of Pb, Cd, Cr and Zn are higher than the levels in the upper continental crust and in the control soil. The spatial distribution shows a significant accumulation of Pb, Cr and Zn on the landfill while Cd is concentrated in the surrounding soils. The calculated enrichment factors suggest an anthropogenic origin of the heavy metal at the study site. These results indicate polymetallic pollution by metals that can persist in the environment and affect human health.

Municipal Landfill, Soil, Heavy Metals, Pollution, Bonoua, Ivory Coast

Armel, K. , Emile, B. and Daniel, A. (2022) Distribution and Characterization of Heavy Metal and Pollution Indices in Landfill Soil for Its Rehabilitation by Phytoremediation. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 10, 151-172. doi: 10.4236/gep.2022.101011.