Anwar Jiries

Cypress tree (Cupressus semervirens L.) bark as an indicator for heavy metal pollution in the atmosphere of Amman City, Jordan

Bio-monitoring of air quality in Amman City was investigated by analyzing 36 cypress tree (Cupressus semervirens L.) bark samples from three sites of different anthropogenic activities at the end of summer season 2001. Cypress barks were found to be a good bio-indicator for air pollution in arid regions. Variation in Pb, Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cd, and Cu contents between sites was observed due to different types of activities. Traffic emissions were found to be the main source of heavy metal pollution in the atmosphere of Amman. Lead content was found to be the highest in highly traffic density areas. The industrial part of the city was characterized by high Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni, and Co contents. No significance variations were found in pH values of the bark between the sites. This was attributed to buffering effect of carbonate in the atmosphere originated from soil of the area.

Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Wastewater, Sediments, Sludge and Plants in Karak Province, Jordan

Analysis for sixteen types of Polycyclic Aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)from samples of raw and treated wastewater, sediments, sludge andplants growing along treated wastewater way was performed inOctober 1997. The collection sites represent two wastewatertreatment plants (WWTP) receiving different types of wastewaterand one site from disposal of raw wastewater in the city ofKarak in southern Jordan.Wastewater treatment efficiency showed removal of PAHs throughsettling tanks and adsorption on sediments after treatment. Theremoval percentage ranged from 44–100% for individual PAH.PAHs were widely distributed at various levels in rawwastewater, treated wastewater, sludge, sediments and plants.The highest concentration was observed in sludge and the lowestin plants. There was a variation in PAHs concentration betweenthe three investigated sites which was attributed to theefficiency of treatment, period of contact with the wastewater,and the nature of activities. The WWTPs were capable or reducingPAHs contamination in water, up to 40% of the total PAHs byadsorption on sludge and sediments.

Chemical composition of dew in Amman, Jordan

Abstract Twenty-six dew samples were collected on a glass surface from an urbanized area in Amman city during the period October 1999 to June 2000. They were analyzed for the major ions (Cl, SO 4 , NO 3 , Ca, Mg, Na, K and NH 4 ) in addition to three heavy metals (Pb, Cd and Co). Rain samples were collected for the same period and compared to the chemical constituents of dew. It was found that both rain and dew samples were of almost neutral acidity due to the buffering effect of CaCO 3 . Dew composition was mainly from CaSO 4 solution due to conversion of CaCO 3 to CaSO 4 when left exposed to a sulfate-rich atmosphere. The total dissolved solids were higher in dew than rain samples of the same period. This was attributed to higher evaporation effect on dew than rain. The heavy metal content in dew is highest during the cold winter season (December–March) due to excess fossil fuel combustion for heating purposes in this period. The heavy metal content in dew was lower than that for rain during the same period because of the shorter period of dew formation than rainwater.

Pesticide and Heavy Metals Residue in Wastewater, Soil and Plants in Wastewater Disposal Site Near Al-Lajoun Valley, Karak / Jordan

Disposal of raw wastewater and sludge creates thepotential for pesticides and heavy metal contamination. Afield study was conducted to determine the residueconcentration level of chlorinated pesticides and four heavymetals (Zn, Pb, Cu and Ni) in raw wastewater, soils andplants at Karak raw wastewater disposal site. The resultsindicated that the investigated area was heavily contaminatedwith various types of pesticides. The distribution of different pesticides in soils and wastewater was influencedby the solubility of these pesticides such that the higherthe solubility the more is present in water phase and viceversa. Vinclozoline was the dominant pesticide in most of thesamples. Some pesticides of which application is restrictedto be used in Jordan, such as DDT and its metabolites, weredetected in the investigated area.Heavy metals existed in relatively higher concentrationsin soils than in wastewater, which was due to the high pH ofthe wastewater enhancing its precipitation. Zinc was thehighest among the analyzed heavy metals in both wastewaterand soils.The residue level of both heavy metals and chlorinatedpesticides were highest at the emission source decreasinggradually with distance.

Vehicular Contamination of Dust in Amman, Jordan

Road dust from four traffic areas; the city center, tunnels, closed car parks and a residential area was collected from the urban part of Amman and analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals content.Total PAH and selected heavy metals were in the range of a few μg g−1. The distribution of PAH was controlled by the arid climatic conditions. PAH distribution in the street dust tended to be dominated by 4- and 6-ring PAHs with significantly less 2- and 3-ring PAH reflecting volatilization of the latter under the hot and dry climatic conditions. However, both PAH and heavy metal concentrations were affected by the densities and conditions of traffic activity at the various sites. Generally, the highest concentrations of both PAH and heavy metals were found in the tunnels and the lowest in the residential areas.Significant correlation between PAH and total organic matter (TOM), lead and cadmium indicated that PAH and heavy metals in street dust of heavily traffic areas are strongly affected by automobile exhaust emission and that those in the residential areas have another source, most probably street material erosion.

Chemical Composition of Urban Wet Deposition in Amman, Jordan

Precipitation events were collected during the period from October 1996 to April 1997 from two sites in the city of Amman, Jordan. The samples were analyzed for major cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and NH4+), major anions (F-, Cl-, NO3- and SO42-), in addition to heavy metals (Cu2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, and Pb2+). High levels of Ca2+ and SO42- were observed. The results were comparable with some regional values and they indicate that about 58% of Na+ and Cl- are of marine origin, while Ca2+, K+ and a large fraction of SO42- are of soil dust origin. Heavy metals were detectable in most of the samples, zinc showed the highest concentrations. Significant correlation was obtained between zinc and lead, which may indicate automobile emission source.

Pesticides and trace metals residue in grape and home made wine in Jordan.

Sixty home made wine and sixty-four grape samples were collectedfrom five territories in Jordan, where grapes and wine aremostly producted. The collected samples were analyzed for themost used organochlorine pesticides (OCP) and organophosphorouspesticides (OPP) in Jordan, as well as for four heavy metals(Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb). The results showed that OCPs residues weredetected in 73% of the wine samples but no OPPs residue weredetected which is due to generally shorter half life of thelater pesticide. Grapes showed higher incident of contaminationthan wine, however, OCPs and OPPs with both short and longhalf-lives were detected. The OPPs were detected in only8.3% of the analyzed grape samples. Heavy metals showed higher valuesin grapes than in the wine samples and it was attributed toremoval of solids during wine preparation processes or throughcontamination of wine during storage. Most of the samples werebelow toxic limit.

The distribution of heavy metals in urban street dusts of Karak City, Jordan

Street dust samples from urban and suburban areas were collected from the city of Karak, Jordan, during the summer season of 2004. Samples were analyzed for their heavy metal concentrations (Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, Cr, Cd, and Mn). The results showed that all heavy metals are higher in city urban areas than the surrounding suburbs. The distribution and concentrations of heavy metals in all areas show automobile originated sources such as emissions and wear and tear of automobiles were the main source of pollution. Despite the fact that the city of Karak and the capital Amman are under the same climatic conditions and same type of fuel used in both cities, the heavy metal concentrations of street dust samples were lower in Karak than Amman due to the lower traffic density.

Water Resources in Jordan

Water resources in Jordan are very limited, among the lowest in the world on a per capita basis. The annual per capita share of water is currently estimated at 135 m3 and this Figure is expected to drop to 90 m3 in the year 2020 as a result of the disproportional increase in population relative to water resources development. Moreover, about 63% of the country’s water resources are consumed in irrigated agriculture. Jordan with an area of around 90,000 Km2 is characterized by Mediterranean semiarid climate in its western part to arid climate in its eastern part and in the Jordan valley. The arid climatic conditions occupy more than 90% of the area of Jordan. More than 96% of the area in Jordan receives less than 300 mm/year. The long term annual average of rainfall over Jordan is about 8,366 MCM/year. Surface runoff flow in Jordan was estimated to be around 885.6 MCM divided into 386.1 as base flow and 499.5 flood flow. For groundwater resources the safe yield is about 294 MCM/year while the pumped water was about 506 MCM making a deficit of around 212 MCM/year. The high consumption of water in agriculture sector made various sources of non-conventional supply mainly treated wastewater have been considered to meet water shortage. At present day treated wastewater was estimated to be around 84 MCM and expected to increase to 117 MCM in 2020.

Chemical and Mineralogical Characteristics of Dry Deposition in the Surrounding of a Cement Factory in Jordan

Dry deposition samples were collected from 28 residential rooftops in Fuhais, Jordan, during the dry seasons of the year 2004. The samples were analyzed for trace and heavy metal concentrations to investigate the impact of total suspended particles emitted from the cement industry in the city of Fuhais. The cement factory has been operational for the past 50 years, and the management was evaluating the use of petcoke blending to reduce fuel costs. No baseline data on heavy metals due to the current operations existed prior to this study. The present study showed that lead (Pb) and copper (Cu) concentrations were statistically significant in the northwest sector of the city compared with the other quadrants. This significance was attributed to the heavy traffic of trucks carrying raw materials and cement in and out of the cement factory as the main route of transportation to the factory runs through this quadrant of the city. Cadmium (Cd), aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), and chromium (Cr) concentrations were high in all sampled areas. The overall average concentrations of all elements except Mo were found to be higher on the rooftops of the residential areas in Fuhais City in comparison with a remote reference site near Amman where no anthropogenic activity exists. The trace and heavy metal concentrations and the mineralogical composition of dry deposition samples collected from residential rooftops are representative of the current cement industry operations, which dominate the air quality of Fuhais City.