Biomonitoring study of trace metals (Al, As, Li) in mussels from Al Hoceima coastline of Moroccan Mediterranean Sea

Mytilus galloprovincialis are commonly used as heavy metal biomonitors across the world. In the present work, the contents of three elements (Al, As, Li) were analyzed in Mytilus galloprovincialis using Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES 720-ES). Samples of soft tissues are collected monthly in 2020, from three sites of the mussel farming facilities installed in the Al Hoceima Sea. The decreasing order of the mean element contents in mussel tissues was Al > As > Li. The lowest values of metallic elements were found in summer and the highest contents were indicated in winter. Positive correlations were indicated between these elements and chlorophyll a indicating the importance of diet for the bioaccumulation of metals in mussels. In addition, our results show that the temperature and the salinity increase with the decreasing of metals bioavailability suggesting the influence of chemical properties and physical kinetics changes in the solution. On the other hand, the strong correlations observed for metal contents in mussel tissues can be elucidated by their common sources. The results of this study may be useful in the use of M. galloprovincialis, in the environmental biomonitoring studies

Simultaneous adsorption behaviour of heavy metals from Oil Mill Wastewater onto natural clay

The present work reports the synergistic and inhibitory adsorption effects involved in the multicomponent adsorption of heavy metal ions (Fe (II), Pb (II)), and major elements from oil mill liquid waste (OMW) using natural bentonite as adsorbent cames from Nador (North-East Morocco). Morocco is one of the most olive oil producing Mediterranean countries. This industry, which is so beneficial to the national economy, leaves two toxic and non-biodegradable residues (liquid/solid). OMW or margin is a current liquid pollutant that has been listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The classical methods used for phenol removal are expensive or limited to large-scale applications such as biological and thermal decomposition methods. The margins used in the studies were collected from a semimodern oil mill (Nador-Morocco). The results of the physicochemical analyses showed that the effluents of the oil mills showed that they are highly polluted, in particular the suspended solids, COD, and iron contents of around 154.82 (mg/l) and copper 31.72 (mg/l). Samples of OMW mixed with raw bentonites at different percentages vary between 10 % and 80 %. Different interactions between bentonite and metal ions dealing with the decrease of the concentrations. This study proves that this bentonite is an effective adsorbent for the elimination of heavy metals from OMW

Bioaccumulation and health risk assessment of trace elements in

The monthly variations in metal concentration of Cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn) and Chromium (Cr) were determined in tissues of Mytilus galloprovincialis and seawater obtained from the mussel farm installed along the Al Hoceima coasts, during the sampling period of 2018. The heavy metals encountered in the bivalves were higher than those observed in their environment with a decreasing order of Zn > Cr > Cd. The results also showed a decreasing trend for the metals studied during the summer sampling campaign. The maximum values were obtained during the wet periods. The monthly variations in trace metals observed in the mussel tissues were due to environmental parameters and the physiological state of the bivalves. Our results revealed that the average concentrations of pollutants found in M. galloprovincialis were below the limits allowed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) which are 2.0, 1000 and 1.0 mg/kg, for Cd, Zn and Cr, respectively in molluscan shellfish for human consumption. Therefore, the trace elements present in the tissues of Al Hoceima shore mussels do not represent a risk to human health associated with their consumption, even during the period of their maximum bioaccumulation. Our work highlights the potential use of Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Biomonitoring of metallic pollutants in this region of the northern Moroccan coasts

Biomonitoring heavy metals (Cu, Li and Mn) in the Marchica Lagoon of Morocco using

Concentration of Copper, Lithium and Manganese were determined in the whole soft tissues of Mytilus galloprovincialis, collected from the two sites (Bni Ansar and Kariat Arekmane) of the Marchica lagoon of Morocco. The mussels were sampled on December and July of 2019. The ability of mussels to accumulate metals was arranged in the following order: Li < Cu < Mn. The levels of heavy metals in M. galloprovincialis were higher (P<0.05) in December (7.38, 2.63 and 11.10 mg/kg d.w., for Cu, Li and Mn, respectively) than July (5.56, 1.85 and 7.24 mg/kg d.w., for Cu, Li and Mn, respectively) because of the environmental parameters of the seawater and the physiological status of the animal. The trends of accumulations of investigated metals in mussel were higher (P < 0.05) in samples from Bni Ansar than from Kariat Arekmane sites, because of the urban and industrial discharge that submitted the zone of lagoon near to the Bni Ansar city. The Mn concentration in the mussel exceeded the acceptable guidelines limits indicated by international organization, which suggests that consumption of bivalves represents a threat to human health. The studied mussel is suitable biomonitors to investigate heavy metals contamination in the coastal area of the Moroccan Mediterranean coasts

Assessment of potential contamination of groundwater in abandoned mining region of Ben Taieb, Northeastern Morocco using statistical studies

The objective of the study is to raise awareness of the effect of anthropogenic activity on groundwater in the urban area, water samples were collected from 12 wells in the area in April and September 2019.&nbsp; From these samples, pH and conductivity were determined using a pH meter/conductivity meter. From these samples, pH and conductivity were determined using a pH meter/conductivity meter, while heavy metal concentrations (Mn, Fe, Pb, Cu and AL) were determined by atomic analysis and ICP-MS. The study showed that groundwater in the study area is (0.01mg/l&lt;Mn2+&lt;0.06 mg/l) and contains (0.14mg/l&lt;Cu2+&lt;0.03 mg/l), (0.02mg/l&lt;Fe2+&lt;0.4 mg/l), (0.02mg/l&lt;Zn2+&lt;1.8mg/l) and (0.01mg/l&lt;AL3+&lt;0.05mg/l). These concentrations are above the permissible limits recommended by the World Health Organization (0.05, 0.2, 0.3, 5 and 0.2 mg/l, respectively; p &gt; 0.05). Bacteriological analyses show that the vast majority of the wells studied in the Ben Taib area harbour high densities of Faeceal coliform (0 to more than 420 CFU/100ml) and Fecal Streptococci (0 to over 25 CFU/100ml). The presence of these high quantities of pathogens, which are indicators of pollution and bacteriological contamination by wastewater, could be due to anthropic activities

Hydrochemical assessment of groundwater in the Kert aquifer using a GIS application: an overview of the control factors for fluoride, arsenic and silica enrichment

Our study was based on using a freshwater aquatic species to assess the short-and long-term toxicity of an organophosphate insecticide commonly adopted by the Moroccan agriculture sector. Recently, groundwater pollution has emerged as one of the most severe environmental challenges, with a particular emphasis on levels of heavy metal pollution. Conservation efforts and efficient management of groundwater resources are required to determine the full scope of this damage. The current research answers the physical-chemical evaluation of the middle Kert basin’s water quality (Mediterranean area, Driouch province, Eastern Morocco) by collecting 42 samples and measuring pH, TDS that vary between 451 and 5841 mg/l, and EC that range from 0.72 to 9.41mS/cm2 according to ISO 5665. The samples were analyzed by ICP-MS and flame atomic absorption spectrometry to detect fluoride and arsenic content. Whose fluoride in the survey area varied from 0.01 mg/l to 2.85 mg/l. The hydro-chemical classification resulting from the Geographic Information System (GIS) statistical data analysis was used to interpret the analytical data on the phenomena responsible for the mineralization. This quantity is considerably higher than the maximum allowable level of 1.5 mg/L, which is the regulation for drinking water in Morocco. It indicates that both natural and artificial factors have contributed to the effects. Most stations have a fluoride concentration in the water, which can be used to identify them. It is a significant amount less than the values that would be ideal; just four wells have concentrations higher than the values that are legally allowed to be. The fluoride levels in the region’s water sources directly result from the natural elements that make up this particular geographic location.The same happened for arsenic, which exceeded 0.1 mg/l in just two samples