Assessment of soil quality of Silghat region of Assam (India) affected by jute mill solid waste

Physico-chemical Analysis of the soil of the dumping yard of Assam Cooperative Jute Mill situated at Silghat of Nagoan district of Assam, India were carried out to assess the extent of chemical pollution due to jute mill waste. Soil samples were collected from ten different locations of the dumping sites and their physico-chemical parameters were analyzed. The soil of the jute mill dumping yard was found to be slightly acidic with an average pH of 6.20. The moisture content of the samples was found to be 40-60%. C/N ratio of the samples ranges from 18.43 to 26.89. Electrical conductivity of 1:5 suspensions of the soil samples ranges from 1.02 to 3.02 mScm-1 indicating high concentration of ions. Concentration of Cl-, SO4 2- and NO3 - in the soil samples increases in the order NO3 - < SO4 2- < Cl-. The soil samples were found to be highly enriched with Na (74.88 mg/Kg), K (89.81 mg/Kg) and Ca (254.12 mg/Kg). Correlation studies indicate strong positive correlation between organic carbon content (Corg) with all the three metals. pH had negative correlation while positive correlation was observed for electrical conductivity with all the metals. UV-visible spectroscopic studies revealed the presence of appreciable amount of undesirable organic matter like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in the soil samples. The acidic nature of the soil makes it a suitable sink for metals and can lead to their bioaccumulation and biomagnifications. The study reveals the toxicological affect of jute mill solid waste on the soil quality of the investigated region

Author(s): Pronil K. Borah, Sanjib Chetry, Dharmendra K. Sharma, Palash M. Saikia

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