Affiliations: Soil and Water Pollution Unit, Nuclear Research
Center, Egypt.E-mail: [email protected] | Soil Department, Faculty of Agricultural, Ain Shams
University, Egypt | Soils, Water and Environment Research Institute, ARC,
Egypt
Abstract: The studied area (Shoubra El-Khima, Bahteem and Mostorod) lies in
the industrial area north of Greater Cairo. The area suffers from several
environmental problems such as sewage and disposal of pollutants from the
surrounding factories into the surface water pathways in the area. Water
samples were collected seasonally from different waterways found in the area,
domestic and or industrial liquid wastes from 12 discharge tubes of different
factories (as a point source of pollution). Chemical characteristics of
different water samples and its heavy metals content were determined using ion
coupled plasma technique (ICP). Results indicate that industrial and domestic
wastewater samples contain several toxic levels of tested heavy metals (Cd, Co,
Pb and Ni) which have a serious impact on surface waterways in the area.Shebin
El-Qanater collector drain samples exhibited the highest levels of Cd, Co, Pb
and Ni compared to other tested water bodies Mostorod collector drain samples
showed the highest levels of Zn and Cu. Industrial effluent samples collected
from Cairo Company for Fabric industry had the highest amounts of total Zn Cu,
Cd, Co and Pb, while Delta steel company discharges the highest amounts of
total Fe and Mn. Al-Ahleya Plastic Company discharges the highest amounts of
total-Ni. Generally, it is necessary to impose the environmental laws and its
regulation regarding the industrial wastewater treatments and disposals to
minimize the risk of the adverse effects of these pollutants.
Keywords: industrial wastewater, disposal, north Greater Cairo, Egypt
