Comparative Assessment of Soil and Selected Crop in Cement Dust Contaminated Environment in Okpella Area of Edo North, Nigeria

The research was designed to compare the degree of contamination of soil and selected crops by cement dust generated during cement industry activities. Two types of soils were investigated. Soil obtained near the cement industry (OS1) and the soil obtained in a location far from the site of the cement industry (AS2). Only cassava was studied but collected at two different locations. Crop sample collected near the cement industry (OC1) and the one collected at a site far from the cement industry (AC2). The physicochemical properties of the soil samples were determined by analyzing for their percentage nitrogen (N), organic matter (OM), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), electrical conductivity (EC), moisture content (MC), bulk density (BD) and hydrogen ion potential (pH). The proximate composition of the crop samples was determined by analyzing for moisture content, crude protein, ash content, ether extract, crude fibre, dry matter, and carbohydrate. The method used was in accordance with the Association of Official Analytical Chemists’. The samples were characterized for the presence of functional groups using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) was used to determine the mineral composition and the heavy metals were determined using the Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) method of analysis. The result showed that the percentage of P (28.6±0.01) and K in AS2 was higher than in OS1 (21.6±0.07). The OM in AS2 (2.34±0.01) was higher than in OS1 (2.17±0.01). The values obtained for EC were OS1 (145.7±0.01) and AS2 (115.4±0.28). The concentration of the selected elements did not exceed the maximum allowable amount. Fe has the highest concentration in soil and crop samples. The obtained value for ash content in OC1 was 4.62±0.00 and AC2 was 2.39±0.01. Carbohydrate has 74.4±0.01 in OC1 and 83.4±0.05 in AC2, however moisture content in OC1 was 7.17±0.03 and 6.86±0.03 in AC2. The results also showed the presence of various functional groups and revealed the types of minerals in the samples.