Toxicity of Heavy Metals and Microbial Analysis of Soil Samples Collected from the Area around Zliten Cement Factory

Abstract

Soil samples were collected from and around Zliten cement factory, Zliten town, Libya. Soil metals and microbial contents were determined. The results obtained for the examined physiochemical characteristics of soil in the area studied prove that cement dust from the Zliten cement factory inLibyahas had a significant impact on the soil. The affected soil properties are pH and total calcium content. These characteristics were found to be higher than those in similar soils from the same area (unpolluted). The increment of soil pH in the same area may be a result of precipitation of cement dust over the years. Metal uptake from cement to plants and soil then affects organisms’ bodies, a fact that seems to be reflected in this study. Different responses were found in each site. For instance, the dominance of fungi of soil was lowest at100 mfrom the factory and the evenness and diversity increased at this site compared to300 mfrom the factory and the control area.