Soil & Water Res., 2023, 18(1):33-42 | DOI: 10.17221/143/2021-SWR

Ambient background and quality reference values for trace metals in soils from AlgeriaOriginal Paper

Abdelkader Laribi1*, Charles Shand2, Renate Wendler2, Brahim Mouhouche3, Stephen Hillier2,4, Gilles Colinet5
1 Département des Sciences du sol, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), El Harrach, Algiers, Algeria
2 The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
3 Département de Génie Rural, Laboratoire de Maîtrise de l’eau en Agriculture (LMEA), Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), El Harrach, Algiers, Algeria
4 Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
5 University of Liège, Gembloux Agro Bio-Tech, BIOSE Dpt, Gembloux, Belgium

The establishment of the reference ambient background concentrations (ABCs) and quality reference values (QRVs) for trace metal (TM) concentrations in soils are required for the environmental assessment and any implementation of a protective action. This information is lacking for soils of the eastern Mitidja plain, which is an important agricultural production area in Algeria. Data for the aqua regia extractable Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations from 180 composite topsoil samples taken across the Mitidja plain in a stratified random pattern were statistically analysed. Descriptive statistical methods and linear regression equations were applied to determine the upper limit of the ABCs for the TMs. After removal of outliers, the derived QRVs were: Cd 0.24, Cr 62.1, Cu 99.3, Fe 45 590, Ni 47.7, Pb 33 and Zn 115 mg/kg. Iron is a macro element in the soils, but is included as its concentration can be used to normalise the concentrations of the other elements. The derived QRVs are similar or less than those reported for other regions of the world, apart from Cu, where a wide range (36 to 206 mg/kg) is reported. These reference values can be used to identify areas that may require follow-up surveys or to identify priority sites for decision making.

Keywords: environmental assessment; Mitidja plain; potentially toxic elements; soil contamination; threshold value

Received: November 2, 2021; Accepted: November 3, 2022; Prepublished online: January 16, 2023; Published: February 8, 2023  Show citation

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Laribi A, Shand C, Wendler R, Mouhouche B, Hillier S, Colinet G. Ambient background and quality reference values for trace metals in soils from Algeria. Soil & Water Res. 2023;18(1):33-42. doi: 10.17221/143/2021-SWR.
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