Trace Metals in Wastewater Ponds in Qatar

Abstract

A one-year monitoring program was conducted to determine the extent of metal contamination in two wastewater ponds in Qatar. Abu-Hamour pond receives untreated domestic and industrial waste while Abu-NakhIa pond receives treated wastewater from two nearby wastewater treatment plants. The concentration of available metals in wastewater samples (p-g/L) and in sediment samples ((ig/kg) follows the order Mn>Cu>Cr>Pb>Ni. The order of available metal concentration in un-impacted control soil samples taken from locations 1.5 to 3 km from the ponds is Mn>Cu>Cr=Pb>Ni. Levels of available mercury and cadmium are close to or below the limits of detection (LOD) for the employed graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopic method. Available metals in wastewater of both ponds are significantly less than the recognized permissible upper limits for agricultural reuse.