Assessment of Dust Retention Capacity and Metal(Loid) Accumulation in Plants of Singrauli Region, India

Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) emissions from activities associated with the coal industry in regions like Singrauli, India, where thermal power plants and heavy traffic are prevalent, pose significant risks to human health and the ecosystem due to dust and heavy metal pollution. The mean concentrations of pollutants ranged from 151 to 436 and 48 to 166 μg/m3 for PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. The study examined the dust retention capacity (DRC) of 30 plants, considering three particle sizes (PM10, PM2.5, and PM0.2). Among them, the leaves of Ficus benghalensis (4.35 mg/cm2), Anogesissus latifolia (3.77 mg/cm2), Butea monosperma (3.74 mg/cm2), Neolamarckia cadamba (3.34 mg/cm2), Lantana camara (3.22 mg/cm2), and Calotropis gigantea (3.14 mg/cm2) showed high DRC. Estimation of the geo‐accumulation index of soil revealed that elements such as As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, Zn, Li, and Al were found to be higher, indicating that the study area could be classified under the extremely polluted category. High accumulation of metal(loid)s (in mg/kg) was observed in plants of Alstonia scholaris (Cd = 8.5 ± 1), B. monosperma (Cr = 384.25 ± 26.78 and Pb = 13.5 ± 1.5), and Saraca asoca (Zn = 198.63 ± 13.89). Finally, the leaf surface analysis confirmed that plants with elongated glandular trichomes, furrows/ridges, rough texture, ruptured surfaces, and deep grooves could retain a greater amount of dust. To establish green belts near the coal mine areas, the study recommends using the aforementioned plants to concurrently retain the emitted PM and associated metal(loid)s.