Yang Guan

Heavy Metal Contamination Assessment and Partition for Industrial and Mining Gathering Areas

Industrial and mining activities have been recognized as the major sources of soil heavy metal contamination. This study introduced an improved Nemerow index method based on the Nemerow and geo-accumulation index. Taking a typical industrial and mining gathering area in Tianjin (China) as example, this study then analyzed the contamination sources as well as the ecological and integrated risks. The spatial distribution of the contamination level and ecological risk were determined using Geographic Information Systems. The results are as follows: (1) Zinc showed the highest contaminant level in the study area; the contamination levels of the other seven heavy metals assessed were relatively lower. (2) The combustion of fossil fuels and emissions from industrial and mining activities were the main sources of contamination in the study area. (3) The overall contamination level of heavy metals in the study area ranged from heavily contaminated to extremely contaminated and showed an uneven distribution. (4) The potential ecological risk showed an uneven distribution, and the overall ecological risk level ranged from low to moderate. This study also emphasized the importance of partition in industrial and mining areas, the extensive application of spatial analysis methods, and the consideration of human health risks in future studies.

Study of a comprehensive assessment method of the environmental quality of soil in industrial and mining gathering areas

Industrial and mining activities have been recognized as major sources of heavy metal contamination in soil. Here, we developed a comprehensive assessment method for the soil environment in industrial and mining gathering areas based on the pressure–state–response model. Using this method, we assessed the environmental quality of soil in a typical industrial and mining gathering area in Tianjin City, China. The results are as follows: (1) The comprehensive environmental quality index of the soil in the study area was 0.532, which corresponds to an alert state and shows that the soil environment is generally poor. (2) The pressure, state, and response indexes were 0.609, 0.634, and 0.163, respectively, which suggests that the pressure in the soil environment of the study area is barely acceptable, and the state is merely passable. Furthermore, the response measures are not ideal. (3) The low response index scores indicate poor production processes, low pollutant treatment level, and unsatisfactory level of management by the enterprises in the study area. (4) The distribution of soil risks was found to be inseparably related to that of contamination sources and land use types. Furthermore, the distribution was uneven to a certain degree. Finally, we propose recommendations for the optimization, adjustment, and management of typical industrial and mining gathering areas with petrochemical, metallurgy, and other heavily polluting enterprises.

Method for Assessing the Integrated Risk of Soil Pollution in Industrial and Mining Gathering Areas

Industrial and mining activities are recognized as major sources of soil pollution. This study proposes an index system for evaluating the inherent risk level of polluting factories and introduces an integrated risk assessment method based on human health risk. As a case study, the health risk, polluting factories and integrated risks were analyzed in a typical industrial and mining gathering area in China, namely, Binhai New Area. The spatial distribution of the risk level was determined using a Geographic Information System. The results confirmed the following: (1) Human health risk in the study area is moderate to extreme, with heavy metals posing the greatest threat; (2) Polluting factories pose a moderate to extreme inherent risk in the study area. Such factories are concentrated in industrial and urban areas, but are irregularly distributed and also occupy agricultural land, showing a lack of proper planning and management; (3) The integrated risks of soil are moderate to high in the study area.

Development and application of a new grey dynamic hierarchy analysis system (GDHAS) for evaluating urban ecological security.

Selecting indicators based on the characteristics and development trends of a given study area is essential for building a framework for assessing urban ecological security. However, few studies have focused on how to select the representative indicators systematically, and quantitative research is lacking. We developed an innovative quantitative modeling approach called the grey dynamic hierarchy analytic system (GDHAS) for both the procedures of indicator selection and quantitative assessment of urban ecological security. Next, a systematic methodology based on the GDHAS is developed to assess urban ecological security comprehensively and dynamically. This assessment includes indicator selection, driving force-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework building, and quantitative evaluation. We applied this systematic methodology to assess the urban ecological security of Tianjin, which is a typical coastal super megalopolis and the industry base in China. This case study highlights the key features of our approach. First, 39 representative indicators are selected for the evaluation index system from 62 alternative ones available through the GDHAS. Second, the DPSIR framework is established based on the indicators selected, and the quantitative assessment of the eco-security of Tianjin is conducted. The results illustrate the following: urban ecological security of Tianjin in 2008 was in alert level but not very stable; the driving force and pressure subsystems were in good condition, but the eco-security levels of the remainder of the subsystems were relatively low; the pressure subsystem was the key to urban ecological security; and 10 indicators are defined as the key indicators for five subsystems. These results can be used as the basis for urban eco-environmental management.

Analysis of soil risk characteristics by comprehensive assessment in an industrial area of China

Soil pollution in industrial areas poses a major challenge for China’s environmental protection. In this study, comprehensive assessment methodologies for soil risk in industrial areas were developed. The comprehensive assessment covered ecological and human health risks of soil pollution, as well as vulnerability of different types of risk receptors. Comprehensive ecological risk assessment integrated potential ecological risk assessment and landscape vulnerability assessment. Comprehensive social risk assessment specialized human health risk assessment by introducing spatial distribution of population. A typical industrial area in China was studied, and the quantitative and spatial assessments of the comprehensive soil risk were presented. The results showed that the spatial distribution of soil comprehensive ecological and social risks differed. High-risk areas of soil comprehensive ecological risk in the study area were mainly farmlands and nature reserves. Inhabited areas and industrial zones were less affected by comprehensive ecological risk of soil. By contrast, the spatial distribution of soil comprehensive social risk and human activities showed a clear trend of convergence. Vulnerability assessment of the risk receptors provided a suitable complement to the risk assessment of soil pollution.