Page 13 - EER-2-3

Explora: Environment
and Resource Environmental contamination of titanium

to analyze and categorize individual Ti-containing mean: 3,022 ± 1,047 mg/kg); however, agricultural topsoil
natural and engineered particles using SP-ICP-TOFMS. 69 from various countries in Europe showed higher Ti
The authors developed quantification techniques based contents, depending on the parent material of the soils
on multielement fingerprints along with element mass (median values from granite: 5,600 mg/kg, gneiss:
ratios—and detection limits of particle types—using 5,700 mg/kg, and schist: 8,000 mg/kg). Ti contents
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decision tree strategies that are independent of Ti’s recorded in the topsoil from urban areas, such as gardens
particle size distribution. and roadsides, had averages of 1,547 ± 765 mg/kg at Cape
Town in South Africa, 3,087 ± 947 mg/kg at Puning in
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3. Distribution and biogeochemistry of Ti in China, and 2,308 ± 154 mg/kg at Xining in China.
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the soils However, as noted above, human activities can release Ti
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3.1. Distribution to the soil environment. The disposal of Ti-containing
industrial wastes contributes to high Ti levels in the
The weathering of ilmenite and rutile increases TiO nearby soils, as evident in Yerevan in Armenia, where
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concentrations in soils, particularly those in tropical the mean level was 4,115 ± 529 mg/kg due to direct
regions. For example, Ti concentrations in the topsoil of industrial activity. Surprisingly, the soils and dust near
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the Seville area, Spain, ranged from 1,162 to 8,353 mg/ the industrial region of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia recorded
kg. The authors found that this concentration range low Ti levels of 24 – 240 mg/kg (mean: 117 mg/kg). The
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was attributed to natural processes rather than traffic soil and dust samples from gold mining areas in Mahd Al
and fertilizers. Although healthy, unpolluted soil is an Dhahab, Saudi Arabia, had slightly increased Ti content
element of the ecosystem, soils are often contaminated (631 – 987 mg/kg, mean: 809 mg/kg). Understanding
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by anthropogenic materials that accumulate over local Ti concentrations in soil is critical for a variety of
extended periods. Agricultural soils subjected to long- applications and responses, ranging from agriculture to
term recycled water irrigation in Kano, Nigeria, resulted environmental management.
in Ti concentrations ranging from 4,600 to 14,300 mg/
kg. Concentrations of TiO NPs in Stormwater Green 3.2. Biogeochemistry
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Infrastructure (SGI) soils varied between 550 and Understanding the biogeochemistry of Ti in soil involves
1,800 mg/kg in Orange County, California, US. The SGI the study of the interaction between Ti and the soil
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is an approach to filter stormwater through growing plants; environment. Ti is not an essential element for plant
thus, SGI soils can retain chemicals from the stormwater, growth, and it is generally considered an inert element in
including pollutants such as TiO NPs. The mean Ti soils, meaning it generally does not play a significant role in
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concentrations in topsoil and sub soils collected from biological processes. As discussed earlier, soil Ti is typically
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Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic,were 4,664.4 mg/kg and present in the form of minerals or mineral compounds.
4,863 mg/kg, respectively, potentially due to atmospheric These Ti-containing minerals are often part of the natural
deposition resulting from the steel industry, vehicular geological composition of soil and rocks. Ilmenite contains
emissions, tire abrasion, and agricultural operations. 73 both Fe and Ti and is often found in igneous rocks, sediments,
The TiO -bearing rocks from quartzite and quartzitic and beach sands. When ilmenite weathers and breaks down,
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sandstone quarries in Wiśniówka, Poland had a mean Ti it releases Ti into the surrounding soil. Rutile contributes
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content of 5,036 ± 696 mg/kg in clayey-silty shales and to the Ti content in soil when metamorphic rocks undergo
1,972 ± 682 mg/kg in quartzites/sandstones, while the weathering. Anatase, another form of TiO found in some
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rocks from Fe-Ti oxide ore in gabbroic complexes in Abu igneous and metamorphic rocks, is less common than rutile.
Ghalaga, Egypt, had a mean Ti content of 481,100 mg/kg Volcanic eruptions can introduce Ti into the soil through
in ilmenite minerals and 88,800 mg/kg in titano-magnetite the deposition of volcanic ash and lava, which may contain
minerals (Table 2). 5 Timinerals. Small amounts of Ti are also deposited into
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Ti concentrations in soil vary based on the geological the soil from the atmosphere, mainly through dust and
characteristics of a particular location (Table 2). The soil aerosol particles that contain Ti. At the same time, some
Ti content in areas with fewer human activities, such as fertilizers and soil amendments may contain traces of Ti,
forest areas (e.g., Amazonian Craton),ranged from 116 contributing to its presence in soil when these products
– 741 mg/kg (mean: 433 ± 178 mg/kg) in Brazil while are used. The elevated concentrations of Ti in soil due to
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Scandinavian Mountain slopes in Sweden reported a Ti human activities couldexert environmental implications
content of 3,660 – 7,830 mg/kg (median: 4,170 mg/kg). and may require remediation efforts to mitigate potential
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Topsoil in agricultural lands at the Hexi Corridor in impacts. Importantly, the pH and redox conditions of the
China showed a similar Ti content (1,448 – 7,919 mg/kg, soil affect the solubility and speciation of Ti, although the

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 7 doi: 10.36922/EER025130027