Determination of heavy elements in Nigerian river sediments using the energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique

Abstract

Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluoresecence (EDXRF) Technique was used to determine eleven heavy elements (K, Ca, Ti, V, Fe, Co, Zn, Rb, Sr, Zr, Nb) from sediments of the Kubanni river in Nigeria. Six of them (K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Co, Sr) were found to be depleted, while lthe others were enriched with respect to their Clarke values. Although the sediment sub-surface water pH values were within tolerable limits, its high turbidity was suggestive of possible contamination, thereby, making the water not portable. Significant positive correlation was found for some data sets including: Ca-Zn, Ti-Co, Fe-Co; others k-Co, K-Fe and K-Sr showed negative correlation.

Nigerian Journal of Physics Vol. 16(2) 2004: 49-51