Project Abstract

Abstract
Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements that can be found in the environment due to both natural processes and human activities. These metals can be harmful to living organisms when present in high concentrations. Sediments serve as an important sink for heavy metals in aquatic environments, as they can accumulate and retain these metals over time. Understanding the distribution of heavy metals in sediment is crucial for assessing environmental quality and potential risks to ecosystems and human health. This research project focused on investigating the distribution of heavy metals in sediment and its relationship with geological factors. The study area was selected based on its historical industrial activities and potential sources of heavy metal contamination. Sediment samples were collected from different locations within the study area and analyzed for heavy metal concentrations using established analytical techniques. The results of the study revealed varying levels of heavy metal contamination in the sediment samples. Certain metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury were found to exceed the recommended limits set by environmental quality guidelines. Spatial distribution maps were created to visualize the concentration patterns of these metals across the study area. Statistical analysis was performed to identify potential relationships between heavy metal concentrations and geological factors such as sediment type, mineral composition, and land use. The findings suggest that the distribution of heavy metals in sediment is influenced by various geological factors. Sediment type was found to play a significant role in determining the accumulation of certain metals, with fine-grained sediments showing higher concentrations compared to coarse-grained sediments. The presence of specific minerals within the sediment also appeared to influence the retention of heavy metals. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of heavy metal distribution in sediment and highlights the importance of considering geological factors in assessing environmental contamination. The results have implications for environmental management and remediation strategies in areas affected by heavy metal pollution. Future research could further investigate the interactions between geological processes and heavy metal behavior in sediment to improve risk assessment and mitigation efforts.

Project Overview

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Heavy metals pollution of aquatic ecosystem is becoming a potential global problem, pollution typically refers to chemicals or other substance in concentration greater than it would occur under natural conditions. Water pollution is the introduction by man of substances into the aquatic environment resulting from deleterious effect as harm to human health (FAO 1990).The presence of increased level of heavy metals in the aquatic environment has been of much concern for the past decades due to adverse effect of some metals on living organisms in food chains leading to man. Pollutants are the cause of major water quality degradation around the world. Several toxic metals which are important to the environment and human health have been detected in aquatic media. These toxic metals include the non-essential meals and are no importance to humans (Borgman and Norwood 2002).

    Trace amount of heavy metals are always present in fresh water from terrigenous sources such as weathering of rocks resulting into geo-chemical recycling of heavy metal elements in these ecosystem. Trace elements may be immobilised within the stream sediments and could be involved in absorption, co-precipitation and complex formation. Sometimes they are co-adsorbed with other elements as oxides, hydroxides of Fe, Mn, or may occur in particulate form.

      Heavy metal may enter into aquatic ecosystem from anthropogenic sources, such as industrial wastewater discharge, sewage wastewater, fossil fuel combustion, and atmospheric deposition. Trace element in stream sediment compartment can be used to reveal the history and intensity of local and regional pollution. In this work, the of stream sediment contamination was assess using geo-accumulation index.

1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of the current study area are:

To assess the extent and degree of metals, and the origin of these metals, using the geo-accumulation index of the metals.
To determine the total content of heavy metals in surface sediments of Akpabuyo.
To estimate the anthropogenic input and to assess the pollution status on the area.
1.3 STUDY AREA

The study area which is located in Akpabuyo, Cross River State lies between longitudes 80 22I 30II E – 80 30I 0II E and latitude 40 52I 30II N – 40 57I 30II N (fig 2). With an area of 126,4032 Square Km. Although many stream samples where collected but few was selscted for the heavy metal analysis. The various Locations in Akpabuyo which sediment samples were collected and used to carry out the analysis are Esuk Mbat stream(L1), Esuk Ekpo Eyo Stream(L2), Ikot Akwa Stream(L3), Dan Archibong Stream(L4), Itu Stream(L5), Ikot Ndarake Stream(L6), Asioha Stream(L7), Ikot Ekpo Ene Stream(L8), Ekpene Ikot Imo Stream(L9), Ikot Nakanda(L10), and their following coordinate shown respectively (table 1.3) . It originate from a hilly region and flows through several villages and farmland