1. Assessment of the impact of reforestation on soil, riparian sediment and river water quality based on polyaromatic hydrocarbon pollutants
- Author
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Vishalan Pillay and Brenda Moodley
- Subjects
Geologic Sediments ,Canada ,China ,Environmental Engineering ,General Medicine ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Soil ,South Africa ,Rivers ,Water Quality ,Soil Pollutants ,Environmental Pollutants ,Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Water Pollutants, Chemical ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
This study aimed to assess the impact of the eThekwini Municipality reforestation project on the quality of the soil within the reforestation sites, and water from the nearby rivers (White and Black Mhlasini Rivers) situated at the reforested Buffelsdraai area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This was the first evaluation of the effect of reforestation on the reduction of selected organic pollutants to be conducted in this area. The sixteen polyaromatic hydrocarbons analysed are on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list of priority pollutants. The soil and sediment samples were extracted using ultrasonication, and liquid-liquid extraction was utilised for the water samples. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) was used to analyze the PAHs. PAH recoveries ranged between 60 and 110%. The PAH LOD values were between 0.30 and 0.69 μg g
- Published
- 2022