AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

2016, Science Hu, http://www.scihub.org/AJSIR

ISSN: 2153-649X, doi:10.5251/ajsir.2016.7.5.129.136

Heavy Metal Content and Physico Chemical Properties of Soil around

Solid Waste Disposal Sites
Asmamaw Abera Kebede1*, Dessalegn Dadi Olani2, Tadesse Getahun Edesa2,
Yohannes Tefera Damtew3
1Debre
Berhan University, Department of Public Health Science, Ethiopia.
2JimmaUniversity, Department of Environmental Health Science and Technology,
Ethiopia,
3Haramaya University, Department of Environmental Health Science, Ethiopia
*Corresponding author: E-mail;asmenst13@gmail.com Tel: +251-91-1002936 P.O.Box-

445 Debre Berhan. Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

Uncontrolled disposal of solid waste causes different adverse ecological impacts. One of the
serious problems is enrichment of heavy metals to the nearest environment. This study analyzed
content of Pb, Cr and Cd and physicochemical properties of soil around solid waste disposal sites
at Adama town. Sampling locations were selected by transect sampling method and soil samples
were taken at distance of 10m, 30m and 60m from periphery of the disposal sites at a depth of
05-20cm and 20-35cm. The pH of soils near Qobbo Luxo and Jogo Dedo disposal sites exhibited
slightly basic and basic respectively. Vertical distribution of Pb, Cr and Cd increased in Qobbo
Luxo disposal site whereas in Jogo Dedo disposal site Pb and Cr increased but Cd decreased.
The total average surface content of Cr (13.71ppm) > Pb (1.033ppm) > Cd (0.223ppm) at Qobbo
Luxo site whereas at Jogo Dedo site Cr (12ppm) > Cd (2.245ppm) > Pb (0.635ppm). The study
demonstrated contamination of the soil by heavy metals that will cause environmental and human
risk through food chain and possibly leaching into ground water sources.

Key words: Adama, Heavy metals content, Soil properties

INTRODUCTION
Most adverse environmental impacts from solid waste
are rooted from inadequate collection and recovery of
recyclable wastes; as well as, co disposal of
hazardous wastes and lack of properly designed
landfills (USAID, 2009; Remigios, 2010). Open
dumping is the most common method of Municipal
solid waste disposal in many middle and lower-
income countries. The indiscriminate and open
disposal of waste can cause environmental
degradation through introducing different toxicants
including heavy metals. Contaminations of soil by
heavy metals are global concern and present a
serious problem (Muniafu and Otiato, 2010; Panagos
et al., 2011).
According to Jayaprakash et al., (2012) heavy metals
occurrence in soil is an indication for existence of
natural or anthropogenic sources of pollution. Various
types of wastes like old computer, tin cans, and E-
waste and old battery are few examples that
contribute heavy metals in landfill. Released leachate
in the surrounding environment presents a risk to
human health (Salvato et al., 2003; Remigios, 2010).
The physical and chemical characteristics of the soil
system influence the transformation, retention, and
movement of pollutants through the soil. Some metals
tend to be relatively strongly adsorbed by soil
constituents and their mobility and bioavailability
depend on the soil condition (USEPA, 1989; Alloway,
1990). However, there is lack of comprehensive and
detail studies about content of heavy metals and
properties of soil around solid waste disposal facilities
in developing countries including Ethiopia. There are
suggestions for further studies on heavy metals
content in the soil profiles closer to dumpsites
(Kouame et al., 2010). In Ethiopia there are
researches done on the contamination of
groundwater around Reppi open solid waste disposal
site in Addis Ababa City. An increment in the contents
of Cr, Cd and Pb by 99.48%, 95.4% and 93.9%
respectively at the outlet of a leachate stream was

revealed (Beyene and Banerjee, 2011). This shows
the need to conduct other studies in other dumpsites.
The present study focused on analysis of Lead,
Chromium and Cadmium contents and
physicochemical properties of soil nearby Adam town
solid waste disposal site.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted in Adama (Nazreth) town
solid waste disposal sites namely Qobbo Luxo and
Jogo Dedo. Adama is found within the Wonji Fault
Belt which is the main structural system in the
Ethiopian Rift Valley. The City is located at 9.130-
9.360N & 40.130E-40.600E and at an elevation of
1712m. The mean annual rainfall is 72.67cm (Tefera,
2010).
The daily generation rate and composition of solid
waste in city was not well studied. The town
municipality has used Qobbo Luxo (Fig. 1.) solid
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Am. J. Sci. Ind. Res., 2016, 7(5):129-136
disposal site with an area of 3,008m 2 for the last 20
years and it shifted to a new disposal site namely
Jogo Dedo (Fig. 2.) with an area of 1,985m 2 since
2010. There was no documented information for
hydrological, geological and overall condition of both
sites but gully erosion passes nearby both disposal
sites. The study was conducted in dry season and
there was no observed leachate generation near
disposal sites. The sampling location was selected by
transect through simple random sampling method
towards gully erosion. The sampling points were
located at 10m, 30m and 60m from periphery of
Qobbo Luxo as well as 10m and 30m from Jogo Dedo
disposal site. Depth-specific soil samples were taken
at a depth of 05-20cm and 20-35cm from each
sampling points. The top 05cm of surface soil was
removed before sampling.
 Am. J. Sci. Ind. Res., 2016, 7(5):129-136

Fig. 1. Sampling locations for soil samples at Adama town Qobbo Luxo solid disposal site
(letters A, B and C indicate sampling points)

Fig. 2. Sampling locations for soil samples at Adama town Jogo Dedo solid disposal Site (letters
D and E indicate sampling points)

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A stainless steel knife was used to dig the soil. The pH of the soil at Qobbo Luxo disposal site from
Collection materials were washed using distilled three sampling locations at different depths was 7.46-
water prior to use and before shifting to the next site. 8.08 with a mean of 7.850.23 which is slightly basic;
Collected samples were transported to Addis Ababa whereas the pH of soil from Jogo Dedo was 7.81-
Environmental Protection Agency Laboratory, Addis 8.13 with mean of 8.010.14 which was higher
Ababa, Ethiopia for treatment and analysis. compared to Qobbo Luxo site. The detected slightly
basic pH values in both study areas may be related
Collected soil samples were air dried for 72 hours.
to the soil property of the disposal sites which show
Then disaggregated with mortar and pestle and finely
pH 8.42-8.47 in the control samples. Similar study
powdered as well as thoroughly mixed. The
conducted in Addis Ababa solid waste disposal site
subsample <2mm mesh size was used for analysis.
showed slightly basic pH of 8.170.95 and 7.370.37
The pH of the soil was measured by digital pH meter
in the nearby grazing land which was also due to a
(Model 3510, JENWAY LTD; UK). Electric
soil with high metallic burden (Beyene and Banerjee,
Conductivity was analyzed by 1:2.5 soil-to-water
2011). There was slight difference throughout the
extraction methods and the extract was measured by
depth in both disposal sites. Other study also
digital EC meter (Model 4510, JENWAY LTD; UK).
revealed depth related differences (Adelekan and
Soil Cation exchange capacity was determined by
Alawode, 2011).
ammonium acetate method (Van Reeuwijk, 2002).
Porosity was measured by placing an oven-dry soil The values in the current study are comparable with
core in a pan of water until the entire empty pore findings in Akouedo landfill with a pH of 7.24-8.70
spaces filled with water (Van Reeuwijk, 2002). (Kouame et al., 2010) whereas other study revealed
strongly acidic and strongly alkaline (i.e. pH of 4.9 to
An aqua-regia method (concentrated HCl and HNO3)
8.8) (Al-oud, 2014). On the other hand Qobbo Luxo
was used for heavy metals extraction based on
site exhibited lower pH compared to Jogo Dedo site.
USEPA method 3051a and the concentration of
This variation may be due to age difference and
heavy metals was measured by Graphite Furnace
decomposition rate of organic matters through time.
atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Model
Qubbo Luxo site is older and expected to have higher
novAA400 Analytikjena). The data was analyzed
decomposition of organic matters which can increase
statistically using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version
the humus content and ultimately results high humic
20. The mean concentration was compared by
acid that can lower the pH value (McCarthy, 2001).
Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test.
This is supported by the finding of Abdus-Salam
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (2009) which revealed neutral to slightly basic pH in
more active sites while old or inactive sites exhibited
The Physico chemical properties and heavy metals slightly lower pH.
content of soil samples at Adama town solid disposal
sites are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Physico-chemical properties of soil at Adama town solid waste disposal sites along horizontal
distances and soil depths
Disposal Site Distance (m) Depth (cm) EC (ms/cm) CEC (meq/kg) pH Soil Porosity
10 (A) 05-20 0.03 15 7.87 52.93
20-35 0.13 24 8.08 52.14
Qobbo Luxo 30 (B) 5-20 0.05 25 7.72 52.51
20-35 0.10 21 7.46 53.94
60 (C) 05-20 0.20 24 7.97 50.00
20-35 0.21 30 8.01 52.41
10 (D) 05-20 0.08 17 7.81 55.11
Jogo Dedo 20-35 0.11 32 8.04 49.79
30 (E) 05-20 0.23 23 8.07 52.41
20-35 0.11 31 8.13 47.43
Control 05-20 0.10 25 8.42 53.10
20-35 0.10 24 8.47 52.76

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Relative mean cation exchange capacity (CEC) was
23.174.96meq/kg and 257meq/kg in Qobbo Luxo
and Jogo Dedo disposal site respectively. It shows
slight variation along depth and with pH. Other study
in soil of a Southern Guinea Savanna cation
exchange capacity value had increased along the
depth (Fatubarin and Olojugba, 2014). At lower pH
the value of CEC decreases due to neutralization of
negative charges on colloids of soil (McCauley et al.,
2005). This study also revealed lower values of CEC
at points that registered low pH (Table 1). The results
in both disposal sites were much less than the values
at Addis Ababa solid waste dumping site which was
found to be 64.34mol kg-1 (Beyene and Banerjee,
2011) but greater than soil at vicinity of a hot mix
asphalt plant in Obigbo (Ifenna and Osuji, 2013).
Other study showed a wide range of CEC from very
low of 4.1cmol/kg to very high of 99.0cmol/kg which
is not a feature of this study (Al-oud, 2014). The
difference may be due to differences in soil properties
and dry environmental condition that deteriorates the
CEC of the soil in study areas.
The mean electric conductivity (EC) for Qobbo Luxo
disposal site was found to be 0.120.075ms/cm
whereas Jogo Dedo disposal site registered
0.130.066ms/cm. The values at both sites were
similar with the value from the control site; however,
mean EC values found in this study were less
compared to another similar study at Addis Ababa
dump site and nearby grazing land as well as study
done in India Mysore city Industrial zone soil (Beyene
and Banerjee, 2011; Shivakumar and
Srikantaswamy, 2012). Highest EC values indicate
movement of ion in the soil (Ifenna and Osuji, 2013).
Therefore lower EC values may show limited
movement of ions in the study areas compared to the
previous finding in Addis Ababa. In addition, the
difference may be due to seasonal variation and
nature of the soil.
Average soil porosity at the Qobbo Luxo disposal site
was 52.32% and Jogo Dedo disposal site showed
51.19%. Jogo Dedo disposal site had highest and
lowest soil porosity at distance of 10m and 30m
respectively. The values were almost similar with the
value from the control site.
Level of heavy metals in both disposal sites is
presented in Table 2. The concentration of Pb, Cr
and Cd were determined at different horizontal
distances and depths. Contents were analyzed to
indicate heavy metals burden on the soil around
disposal sites.

Table 2. Concentration of Cd, Cr and Pb in soil around Adama town solid waste disposals sites along
horizontal distances and soil depths
Disposal site Sampling location Depth (cm) Concentration (ppm)
Cd Cr Pb
10m 05-20 0.10 11.99 1.15
20-35 3.67 16.25 1.68
30m 05-20 0.15 14.37 1.13
Qobbo Luxo 20-35 2.92 16.47 0.76
60m 05-20 0.42 14.76 0.76
20-35 0.12 16.98 1.33
10m 05-20 2.49 12.44 0.08
Jogo Dedo 20-35 0.16 16.53 1.58
30m 05-20 2.00 11.66 1.19
20-35 0.14 16.56 2.05
Control 05-20 0.07 9.03 0.45
20-35 0.15 10.05 0.92

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The average concentration of Pb in both disposal
sites increased along depth at different sampling
location with slight fluctuation at Qobbo Luxo site.
This may be due to movement of Pb along the depth
favored by slight differences in soil pH and porosity
(Sherene, 2010; Ideriah et al., 2010) also found
similar pattern along the soil profile; however, the
concentration is lower compared to this study. Slight
fluctuation along surface depth is supported by other
studies (Marzieh et al., 2010; Njoku and Ngene,
2012).
Mean content of lead distribution decreased along
the horizontal distance in Qobbo Luxo site. This can
be due to adsorption of lead on decomposed organic
matter immediate to the disposal site that restricts its
mobility (Kouame et al., 2010). The total surface
mean content of lead (1.033ppm) in Qobbo Luxo site
was greater than Jogo Dedo (0.635ppm); however,
the difference was statistically insignificant (P=0.921)
at P-value = 0.05 according to Man-Whitney U and
Kruskal Wallis test. However; the concentration of
Pb in this study was lower compared to other studies
done in Addis Ababa, India and Ivory Coast which
show 17-852ppm,42.9-1833.5 mg/kg and 280ppm
respectively (Beyene and Banerjee, 2011; Parth et
al., 2011; Kouame et al., 2010). The difference may
due to the quantity and constitute of municipal solid
waste that contains Pb contents such as lead
batteries, lead based paints, plastics, electronic
waste and pipes.
The content of Cr slightly increased along the depth
in both disposal sites at all sampling locations (Table
2). The variation along depth may be due to porosity
and pH of the soil that makes favorable condition for
Cr mobility (Adelekan and Alawode, 2011; Parth et
al., 2011). The average pit mean value shows slight
difference in Qobbo Luxo site at 10m (14.12ppm),
30m (15.42ppm) and 60m (15.87ppm) but almost the
same in Jogo Dedo site. The difference is statistically
insignificant (p=0.248) at P-value = 0.05 according to
Mann-Whitney U test. Average surface content of
Chromium at Qobbo Luxo and Jogo Dedo site was
13.71ppm and 12ppm respectively.
Chromium content in this study was much lower than
the content reported from Reppi solid waste dump
site in different sampling points and on grazing land
with a range of 46ppm to 561 ppm (Beyene and
Banerjee, 2011). But it was higher than the value
found at Enyimba Dump site in Nigeria (Cr=1.34
mg/kg) (Akobundu and Nwankwoala, 2013). Even
though it was less when compared with different
studies, but it is higher than the typical least normal
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range for background content according to Alloway
(1990).
Cadmium was one of the heavy metals analyzed
horizontally and vertically at both disposal sites. Its
content increased along depth in Qobbo Luxo site but
decreased in Jogo Dedo site. Higher concentrations
with depth may be related with sorption of metals into
a soil with higher porosity. The porosity in turn
increases as organic component of soil increases
through time (Sherene, 2010; Beyene and Banerjee,
2011). Thus, it is expected to find higher
concentration in the case of old Qobbo Luxo dump
site with highly decomposed organic matter
compared to the new Jogo Dedo site. The result of
Qobbo Luxo agrees with other studies which show
raise in concentration along soil profile (Adelekan and
Alawode, 2011; Njoku and Ngene, 2012). Lower
values along depth in Jogo Dedo disposal site may
be due to slow sorption process in new disposal site.
This is supported by another similar result from an
open dump site in Nigeria which revealed decreasing
in concentration in soil profile (Adelekan and
Alawode, 2011).
Average horizontal concentration of Cadmium
decreased towards gully erosion from periphery of
both disposal sites. According to Kruskal-Wallis test
the sites has no significant difference (p=0.2750 for
Qobbo Luxo & p=0.121 for Jogo Dedo). This result
supported by a study conducted in Alexandria, in El-
Montaza and Abis dumpsites (Abdel-Monem et al.,
2011). Other study in Ivory Coast revealed higher
average content of Cadmium at nearest sampling
point (Kouame et al., 2010). This indicated open land
solid waste disposal contributes to increase the
concentration of heavy metals in the surrounding soil.
The findings in this study were less than other
findings in Ethiopia and other countries (Abdel-
Monem et al., 2011; Njoku and Ngene, 2012; Beyene
and Banerjee, 2011). The reason may be due to age
of disposal sites and constitutes of wastes that
entered into the disposal sites.
CONCLUSION
Among, analyzed parameters pH was slightly basic
but lower compared to the control site which indicates
the influence of solid waste dumped in the area.
Similarly EC was lower compared to values for
organic soil. The content of Cr, Cd and Pb increased
along the depth in all location at both disposal sites
which is an indicator for sorption of heavy metals into
the soil. The pit average content of three metals
decreased toward gully erosion. Average surface

contents of Pb, Cr and Cd are greater at Qobbo Luxo
disposal site. This implies areas near the disposal
sites are more contaminated. Currently no pollution
control mechanism established in both disposal sites.
There is possibility of leaching of heavy metals to
seasonal gully erosion which joins to Awash River
and transfer of heavy metals to food chain that pose
public health risk.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge Debre Berhan
University and Jimma University for funding this
research project.
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