Speciation of Vanadium, Titanium, Manganese and Iron from contaminated site in the residential suburb of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

This study concerns the investigation of the distribution of heavy metals Vanadium (V), titanium (Ti), manganese (Mn), and Iron (Fe) from soils around Eleme Port-Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria. The soil samples were collected systemically in the range of top soil, 0 m, 100 m, 200 m, 300 m, 400 m, and 500 m distance. The samples were analyzed following a five-stage sequential chemical extraction procedure using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentration of V was found to be below the acceptable limit with the average mean of 11.27 μg/g, Ti was detected similar to V with average mean of 10.86 μg/g. Manganese and Fe decreased in concentration with average mean of 1.18 μg/g and 5.27 μg/g respectively. It was observed that the sediment samples contain more of V and Ti compared to Mn and Fe in their distribution. The analysis showed that V, Ti, Mn, and Fe concentrations have not exceeded the maximum allowable concentration for soil quality guidelines for environmental health prescribed by CCME and USEPA. Thus, the soil under study can conveniently be used for agricultural activities.