Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Assessment of Contamination of Soil and Groundwater Due to e-Waste Handling


Affiliations
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110 025, India
 

This paper reveals the magnitude of heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater in and around an unauthorized e-waste recycling site in Delhi. Though unsafe and unorganized and with the e-waste handling now legally banned in Delhi, the informal sector is still actively involved in dismantling, extracting and disposing of e-waste in certain places on a considerably large scale. The leachate produced by these recycling units contains a large amount of heavy metals which are likely to pollute the groundwater and soil adjoining the recycling sites. This study evaluates the e-waste contamination at such sites by monitoring the potential contaminants at a number of specific monitoring points in Krishna Vihar near Mandoli. The soil and underground water samples are tested for the presence of heavy metals around e-waste recycling and dumping sites using atomic absorption spectrometry. The standard values according to Central Ground Water Board are taken as reference values for water, and standards for agricultural soil in Britain as reference values for soil. The results show that the groundwater and soil in and around these sites have been contaminated by lead, copper, chromium and cadmium to a large extent.

Keywords

Contamination, e-Waste, Groundwater, Heavy Metals, Soil.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Kiddee, P., Naidu, R. and Wong, M. H., Electronic waste management approaches: an overview. Waste Manag., 2013, 33, 1237–1250.

  • Gaidajis, G., Angelakoglou, K. and Aktsoglou, D., e-waste: environmental problems and current management. J. Eng. Sci. Technol. Rev., 2010, 3(1), 193–199.

  • Ahmed, S. and Panwar, R. M., Hazardous constituents of e-waste and predictions for India. In Proceedings Institution of Civil Engineering Waste Resource Management, 2015, vol. 169, pp. 83–91.

  • Joshi, R. and Ahmed, S., Status and challenges of municipal solid waste management in India: a review. Cogent Environ. Sci., 2016, 2, 113934.

  • Chatterjee, S. and Kumar, K., Effective electronic waste management and recycling process involving formal and nonformal sectors. Int. J. Phys. Sci., 2009, 4, 893–905.

  • Ahmed, S. and Panwar, R. M., Analysis of barriers of e-waste Management using ISM (interpretive structural modeling) methodology. In Innovative Trends in Applied Physics, Chemical, Mathematical Sciences and Emerging Energy Technology for Sustainable Development, 2014, pp 93–105.

  • Wild, A., Soils and environment: an introduction. Cambridge Imoversotu Press, Cambridge, 1996, p. 290.

  • Zhang, W.-H., Ying-Xin, W. and Simonnot, M. O., Soil contamination due to e-waste disposal and recycling activities: a review with special focus on China. Pedosphere, 2012, 22, 434–455.

  • Ahmad, I., Hayat, S., Ahmad, A. and Samiullah, I., Effect of heavy metal on survival of certain groups of indigenous soil microbial population. J. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manag., 2005, 9, 115–121.

  • Luo, C., Liu, C. and Wang, Y., Heavy metal contamination in soils and vegetables near an e-waste processing site, south China. J. Hazard. Mater., 2010, 186, 481–490.

  • Golui, D., Datta, S. P., Rattan, R. K., Dwivedi, B. S. and Meena, M. C., Predicting bioavailability of metals from sludge-amended soils. Environ. Monit. Assess., 2014, 186, 8541–8553.

  • Lokeshwari, H. and Chandrappa, G. T., Impact of heavy metal contamination of Bellandur Lake on soil and cultivated vegetation. Curr. Sci., 2006, 91, 622–627.

  • Sahariah, B. et al., Solubility, hydrogeochemical impact and health assessment of toxic metals in municipal waste of two differently populated cities. J. Geochem. Exp., 2015, 157, 100–109.

  • Sepulveda, A. et al., A review of the environmental fate and effects of hazardous substances released from electrical and electronic equipments during recycling: examples from China and India. Environ. Impact Assess. Rev., 2010, 30, 28–41.

  • Zan, N. R., Datta, S. P., Rattan, R. K., Dwivedi, B. S. and Meena, M. C., Prediction of the solubility of zinc, copper, nickel, cadmium, and lead in metal-contaminated soils. Environ. Monit. Assess., 2013, 185, 10015–10025.

  • Khan, S., Zahoor, U., Ihsanullah and Zubair, A., Levels of selected heavy metals in drinking water of Peshawar City. Int. J. Sci. Nat., 2011, 2, 648–652.

  • Mohod, C. and Dhote, J., Review of heavy metals in drinking water and their effect on human health. Int. J. Innov. Res. Sci. Eng. Technol., 2013, 2, 2992–2996.

  • Meena, R., Datta, S. P., Golui, D., Dwivedi, B. S. and Meena, M., Long-term impact of sewage irrigation on soil properties and assessing risk in relation to transfer of metals to human food chain. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., 2016, 23, 14269–14283.

  • Caruso, B. et al., Metals fate and transport modelling in stream sand watersheds:state of the science and USEPA workshop review. Wiley Intersci., 2008; doi:10.1002/hyp.7114.

  • Ahmed, S., Panwar, R. M. and Sharma, A., Forecasting e-waste amounts in India. Int. J. Eng. Res. Gen. Sci., 2014, 2, 324–340.

  • Trehan, N. C., Environmental Aspects of Hazardous Wastes Disposal in India. Environmental Impact Assessment of Developing Countries, 1992, pp. 124–130.

  • Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). MOEF Regulations 2015. J. Chem. Inf. Model., 2013, 53, 1689–1699.

  • Gidarakos, E. et al., e-waste recycling environmental contamination: Mandoli, India. Proc. ICE – Waste Resour. Manag., 2012, 165, 45–52.

  • MMA (Ministry of Minority Affairs), Baseline Survey of North-East District, NCT Delhi, 2008.

  • Malik, R., Risk Assessment of e-waste burning in Delhi, India, EMPA, 2004.

  • Kori, R., Guide Manual, Water and Waste Water Analysis, CPCB.

  • Davies, B. and Ballinger, R., Heavy metals in soils in north Somerset, England, with special reference to contamination from base metal mining in the Mendips. Environ. Geochem. Health, 1990, 12, 291–300.

  • Parth, V., Murthy, N. N. and Saxena, P. R., Assessment of heavy metal contamination in soil around hazardous waste disposal sites in Hyderabad city (India): natural and anthropogenic implications. E3 J. Environ. Res. Manag., 2011, 2, 27–34.

  • OECD, Technical Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of Specific Waste Streams used and Scrap Personal Computers, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2003, vol. 3, no. 12, pp. 1–21.

  • Shanker, A., Cervantes, C., Tavera, H. and Avudainayagamd, S., Chromium toxicity in plants. Environ. Int., 2005, 31, 739–753.

  • Sharma, R., Agarwal, M. and Marshall, F., Heavy metal contamination in vegetables grown in wastewater irrigated areas of Varanasi, India. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 2006, 77, 312–318.

  • Mathews, G. PVC: Production Properties and Uses, Institute of Materials, 587, London, 1996.

  • Edwards, A., The correlation coefficient. In Introduction to Linear Regression and Correlation, W. H. Free. Co, 1977, vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 33–34.

  • Tessier, A., Campbell, P. and Bisson, M., Sequential extraction procedure for the speciation of particulate trace metals. Anal. Chem., 1979, 51, 844–851.

  • Tokalioglu, S. and Kartal, S., Determination of heavy metals and their speciation in lake sediments by flame atomic absorption spectrometry after a four-stage sequential extraction procedure. Anal. Chim. Acta, 2000, 413, 33–40.

  • Kersten, M. and Forstner, U., Chemical fractionation of heavy metals in anoxic estuarine and coastal sediments. Water Sci. Technol., 1986, 18, 121–130.

  • Ure, A., Quevauviller, P., Muntau, H. and Griepink, B., Speciation of heavy metals in solids and sediments. An account of the improvement and harmonization of extraction techniques undertaken under the auspices of the BCR of the Commission of the European Communities. Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem., 1993, 51, 135–151.

  • Panda, D., Subramanian, V. and Panigrahu, R., Geochemical fractionation of heavy metals in Chilka Lake (east coast oflndia) – tropical coastal lagoon. Environ. Geol., 1995, 26, 199–210.

  • Kersten, M. and Forstner, U., Speciation of trace elements in sediments. In Trace Element Speciation: Analitycal Methods and Problems (ed. Batley, G. E.), CRC Press, Boca-Raton, FL, 1991, pp. 245–317.

  • Usero, J., Gamero, M., Morillo, J. and Gracia, I., Comparative study of three sequential extraction procedures for metals in marine sediments. Environ. Int., 1998, 24, 487–496.

  • Shekhar, S., Purohit, R. and Kaushik, Y., Groundwater Management in NCT Delhi, 2012.


Abstract Views: 430

PDF Views: 135




  • Assessment of Contamination of Soil and Groundwater Due to e-Waste Handling

Abstract Views: 430  |  PDF Views: 135

Authors

Rashmi Makkar Panwar
Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110 025, India
Sirajuddin Ahmed
Department of Civil Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110 025, India

Abstract


This paper reveals the magnitude of heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater in and around an unauthorized e-waste recycling site in Delhi. Though unsafe and unorganized and with the e-waste handling now legally banned in Delhi, the informal sector is still actively involved in dismantling, extracting and disposing of e-waste in certain places on a considerably large scale. The leachate produced by these recycling units contains a large amount of heavy metals which are likely to pollute the groundwater and soil adjoining the recycling sites. This study evaluates the e-waste contamination at such sites by monitoring the potential contaminants at a number of specific monitoring points in Krishna Vihar near Mandoli. The soil and underground water samples are tested for the presence of heavy metals around e-waste recycling and dumping sites using atomic absorption spectrometry. The standard values according to Central Ground Water Board are taken as reference values for water, and standards for agricultural soil in Britain as reference values for soil. The results show that the groundwater and soil in and around these sites have been contaminated by lead, copper, chromium and cadmium to a large extent.

Keywords


Contamination, e-Waste, Groundwater, Heavy Metals, Soil.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv114%2Fi01%2F166-173