Published January 30, 2026 | Version v1
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Presence of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Unete river in Casanare, Colombia: Assessment of possible sources and ecological risk

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Universidad Internacional del Trópico Americano - Unitrópico
  • 2. ROR icon Fundación Universitaria Internacional del Tropico Américano
  • 3. ROR icon Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia

Description

Surface sediment samples from 46 sites along the Unete River in Casanare, Colombia, were analysed to assess the ecological risk and sources of heavy metals—arsenic (As), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). The study applied a comprehensive approach that included descriptive statistical analysis, comparison with Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs), calculation of enrichment factors (EF), potential ecological risk index (PERI), and toxicity risk index (RI), as well as multivariate statistical methods such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). Arsenic concentrations showed a highly heterogeneous distribution, while Pb emerged as the most critical contaminant. Elevated Pb levels indicated contamination of concern in at least 5% of the sampling sites. Both As and Pb showed environmentally significant contamination levels. EF results indicated that Zn, As, and Pb primarily originate from anthropogenic sources, while Cu and Ni are associated with natural sources. PERI and RI values for As and Pb classified them as contaminants of concern, with a higher potential environmental risk at sites where both metals were detected together. Multivariate statistical analysis, supported by findings in the literature, identified two likely pollution sources for these heavy metals: (i) agricultural activities and (ii) vehicular emissions. These results are consistent with the observation that As concentrations were highly localized, whereas Pb displayed a broader spatial distribution across the study area

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Dates

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2026-09-21

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https://revistas.udea.edu.co/index.php/ingenieria/article/view/357747

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