Chemical Analysis and Agricultural Utilizations of Dams Reservoir Sediments

Abstract

Sediment samples were collected from King Talal Dam (KTD) and subjected to chemical, physical, and mineralogical study to test their suitability as soil replacement.  The concentration of Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), Nickel (Ni), Arsenic (As), Cobalt (Co), and Zinc (Zn) was obtained by atomic absorption spectrophotometer, and the elements phosphorus (P) and boron (B) were determined by using the spectrophotometric technique. These elements concentration was compared with the average concentration of soil in near by area  of Jordan valley, It was found that the concentration of Cu and Zn, P, Fe, Mn, and K is within the standard range for soil fertility, and the concentration of Pb, Ni, As, Co, and Cd is within the standard range of agricultural human health safety regulation’s, the highest concentration on of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) in sediment were found to be 1.48% and 15.0 ppm respectively. The lowest average concentration in KTD sediment was identified for cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) and was found to be <0.01 and <0.05 ppm respectively. The  Laboratory tests carried out indicate that the water of King Talal Dam is free of heavy metals pollutants, and reservoir sediments can be used for soil replacement and amendment. It is highly recommended to keep the percentage of sediments of KTD to soil used in agriculture within the range of 25%-50%.