Industrial Impacts of Small Industrial Workshops on the Environment and the Nearby Residential Areas in Khartoum State Using X-Ray Fluorescence Study

Abstract

This study was conducted on industrial workshops located within residential neighborhoods in six sites in Khartoum State. The purpose of the research is to investigate the soil pollution caused by these workshops due to heavy elements. The polluting heavy elements targeted are iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb). Ninety different samples were collected )15 samples from each location at depth (2-3) cm and 2 meters away from each other). The X-ray Fluorescence technique was used to determine the concentration of the trace elements. The concentrations of the traces were calculated. The averaged values together with the standard deviations were obtained at eight meters away from the workshops. Iron and Zinc concentrations exceeded the permissible limits, while the other elements were not so far away from the ones accepted internationally at the metal furniture workshop in Omdurman, Salha. In the car batteries workshop in Omdurman Salha the concentrations of all the investigated elements were less than the permissible limits except for the Iron which exceeded the limits. In the car batteries and lead extraction and recycling workshop in the Omdurman, Al Souq Al Saby, the concentrations of trace elements iron, zinc, lead and copper exceeded the permissible limits. In the metal furniture workshop in Hilat Koko in Bahry, all the targeted elements’ concentrations were below the permissible limit except for iron which exceeded the permissible limit. In the workshop for recycling of car batteries and lead extraction in Bahry Al Margania iron, lead and copper concentrations were higher than the acceptable limits. In the workshop for Car batteries in Khartoum, Al Mantega Al Sinaeia Al Gadeema, the concentrations of iron were higher than the permissible limits, while Iron, copper and zinc concentrations were below the permissible limits. Iron concentration exceeded the permissible limits in five out of six investigated locations while lead exceeded the permissible limits in three out of the six investigated locations while zinc and copper exceeded the permissible limits in only two locations out of the six investigated locations.