Surface water quality in palm oil plantation

• Published in: Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences
• Main Author: Nadzi N.S.C.; Abdullah M.Z.; Sulaiman F.R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Penerbit UTM Press 2019
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85083632052&doi=10.11113%2fmjfas.v15n2019.1102&partnerID=40&md5=0790578d7a64bade351ea33c488be39c

River water that is directly connected to palm oil plantation activities has been analysed for concentration of Zn, Pb and Cu, as well as its physicochemical parameters. The samples were collected from 12 sampling points along the river in which located in Jerantut District in Pahang, Malaysia. The metal concentration was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP - OES) in triplicates after undergoing through chemical treatment. Six physicochemical parameters; temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, total dissolved solids (TDS) and specific conductance were measured in-situ. The average water temperature was recorded at 28.01°C, 0.02 ppt for salinity, 0.13 mg L-1 for DO, 7.90 for pH, 0.031 mg L-1 for TDS and 51.8 μS cm-1 for conductivity. The mean concentrations of the studied metals were observed to be lower than the standard level proposed by WHO and USEPA for drinking water and ecosystem safety except for Pb. The contamination factor (CF) for all elements was indicated at the uncontaminated level for all sampling points. Generally, the study found that the river was not contaminated with the studied pollutants and the nearby plantation activities did not seriously affect the quality of the studied river. © 2019 Penerbit UTM Press.