Source Apportionment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Agricultural Soils of Yingtan City, Jiangxi Province, China: A...

The increase in the concentration of potentially toxic elements in farmland soil attracts more and more attention. To identify the sources of potentially toxic elements in agricultural soils, 148 soil samples in Yingtan were selected as a case study, potentially toxic elements levels were analyzed, and principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were employed. The results indicate that the average of Zn (89.62 mg·kg^-1 d.w.), Cu (76.30 mg·kg^-1 d.w.), Pb (35.56 mg·kg^-1 d.w.), Mo (0.66 mg·kg^-1 d.w.), and Cd (0.59 mg·kg^-1 d.w.) exceed the corresponding soil background values of Jiangxi Province. Moreover, the high spatial coefficient of variation (above 1.00) for these elements suggests a significant influence from long-term external inputs. Among all of the elements above, the soil Cu and Cd concentrations indicate a relatively high pollution ranked by Igeo. Further analysis of sources apportioned by PCA and PMF implies that the potentially toxic elements input into agricultural soil may be attributed to mining activity, natural sources, smelting, and agricultural activity. This study implies that PCA-PMF combined with the field survey may be helpful tools for discerning the pollutants^' sources, and it addresses a view that the increasing Cu and Cd levels in farmland is concerning, as it is associated with the historical use of mixed fertilizers and a lack of supervision.