Application of Magnetic Measurements for the Characterization of Topsoil Pollution in Industrial Environments

Sudarningsih Sudarningsih; Tetti Novalina Manik; Ibrahim Ibrahim; Abd Mujahid Hamdan; Hamdi Rifai; Siti Zulaikah; Ikbal Setiawan; Ella Rachmah Dwi Putri; Laela Azizah

doi:10.48084/etasr.13459

Authors

Sudarningsih Sudarningsih Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Banjarbaru, Indonesia
Tetti Novalina Manik Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Banjarbaru, Indonesia
Ibrahim Ibrahim Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Banjarbaru, Indonesia
Abd Mujahid Hamdan Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Hamdi Rifai Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Padang, Padang, Indonesia
Siti Zulaikah Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia
Ikbal Setiawan Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Banjarbaru, Indonesia
Ella Rachmah Dwi Putri Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Banjarbaru, Indonesia
Laela Azizah Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, Banjarbaru, Indonesia

Volume: 15 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 30605-30611 | December 2025 | https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.13459

Received: 17 July 2025 | Revised: 3 September 2025 | Accepted: 15 September 2025 | Online: 8 December 2025

Corresponding author: Sudarningsih Sudarningsih

Abstract

This study aims to examine the feasibility of using magnetic techniques to identify anthropogenic materials produced by human activities. Rock magnetism, geochemical analysis, and pollution index calculations were used. The magnetic signal of the topsoil from the industrial area is greatly enhanced when compared with the background, with a magnetic susceptibility (χ_LF) of 0.23–42.60 × 10⁻⁶ m³/kg. However, industrial topsoil contains only a small number of pedogenic Superparamagnetic (SP) grains, as indicated by the low average χ_FD% value (<2%). The geochemical properties of the magnetic fraction in industrial topsoil differ significantly from those of topsoil generally found in peatlands. This indicates that magnetic minerals in industrial topsoil originate not only from pedogenic processes, but also from parent soil materials in the surrounding area. Significant magnetic correlation techniques can screen for topsoil pollution in this area, as evidenced by the significant correlations between χ_LF, Fe, and Mn, as well as between χ_HF and χ_FD%. Five heavy metals had abundances exceeding the threshold, as shown by the Pollution Load Index (PLI), which indicated moderate to very high pollution.

Keywords:

peatland, monitoring, lithogenic, anthropogenic, geochemistry

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

B. J. Alloway, "Sources of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soils," in Heavy Metals in Soils: Trace Metals and Metalloids in Soils and their Bioavailability, B. J. Alloway, Ed. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 2013, pp. 11–50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4470-7_2

P. N and R. C. R, "Heavy Metal Analysis and Health Risk Assessment of Groundwater and Soil in and Around Peenya Industrial Area, Bengaluru," Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology, vol. 25, no. 7, pp. 63–79, July 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12912/27197050/188008

N. Harkat, A. Rahmane, and I. Bendjemila, "The Impact of Industrial Air Pollution on the Urban Environment of Setif: Modeling and Mapping of Total Suspended Particles," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 9431–9439, Dec. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.5256

M. H. Salehi, S. Jorkesh, and R. Mohajer, "Relationship between Magnetic Susceptibility and Heavy Metals Concentration in Polluted Soils of Lenjanat Region, Isfahan," E3S Web of Conferences, vol. 1, 2013, Art. no. 04003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20130104003

U. Kukier, C. F. Ishak, M. E. Sumner, and W. P. Miller, "Composition and element solubility of magnetic and non-magnetic fly ash fractions," Environmental Pollution, vol. 123, no. 2, pp. 255–266, May 2003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(02)00376-7

S. Sudarningsih, T. N. Manik, F. Fahruddin, G. Tamuntuan, F. Razi, and D. Dzikri, "Identification of Anthropogenic Materials in Topsoil from the Urban Area of Banjarmasin, Indonesia Using Geochemical and Rock Magnetic Properties," Rudarsko-geološko-naftni zbornik, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 1–14, Aug. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2025.4.1

R. Maity, M. Venkateshwarlu, S. Mondal, M. R. Kapawar, D. Gain, and P. Paul, "Magnetic and microscopic characterization of anthropogenically produced magnetic particles: a proxy for environmental pollution," International journal of environmental science and technology, vol. 18, no. 7, pp. 1793–1808, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02902-x

S. Ayoubi, M. J. Samadi, H. Khademi, M. Shirvani, and Y. Gyasi-Agyei, "Using magnetic susceptibility for predicting hydrocarbon pollution levels in a petroleum refinery compound in Isfahan Province, Iran," Journal of Applied Geophysics, vol. 172, Jan. 2020, Art. no. 103906. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jappgeo.2019.103906

N. Sikumbang and R. Heryanto, Geological Map of Banjarmasin Sheet. Bandung, Indonesia: Center for Geological Research and Development, 1994.

X. Zhang et al., "Soil Quality Assessment in Farmland of a Rapidly Industrializing Area in the Yangtze Delta, China," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 19, Jan. 2022, Art. no. 12912. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912912

J. Zhang, L. Liu, X. Wei, Y. Sun, L. Wang, and X. Xie, “Effectiveness of magnetic separation pretreatment methods in evaluating heavy metal pollution in urban soils: a case study of Nanjing City,” Environmental Geochemistry and Health, vol. 47, no. 7, June 2025, Art. no. 240, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-025-02558-x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-025-02558-x

J. A. Dearing, Environmental magnetic susceptibility : using the Bartington MS2 system. Kenilworth, Warwickshire, UK: Chi Publishing, 1994.

G. Muller, "Index of geoaccumulation in sediments of the rhine river," GeoJournal, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 108–118, Jan. 1969.

K. K. Turekian and K. H. Wedepohl, "Distribution of the Elements in Some Major Units of the Earth’s Crust," Geological Society of America Bulletin, vol. 72, no. 2, 1961, Art. no. 175. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1961)72[175:DOTEIS]2.0.CO;2

G. Wang et al., "Magnetic evidence for heavy metal pollution of topsoil in Shanghai, China," Frontiers of Earth Science, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 125–133, Mar. 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-017-0624-5

E. S. Akanbi and E. J. Nasamu, "Magnetic Pollution of Soil Samples at Some Industrial Sites in Jos Metropolis, Plateau State, Nigeria," Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 193–196, Apr. 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v24i2.1

M. M. Orosun, S. A. Oniku, A. Peter, R. O. Orosun, N. B. Salawu, and L. Hitler, "Magnetic susceptibility measurement and heavy metal pollution at an automobile station in Ilorin, North-Central Nigeria," Environmental Research Communications, vol. 2, no. 1, Jan. 2020, Art. no. 015001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ab636a

S. Sudarningsih et al., "Assessment of Soil Contamination by Heavy Metals: A Case of Vegetable Production Center in Banjarbaru Region, Indonesia," Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 249–257, Dec. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15244/pjoes/153074

D. Yang, L. Yan, L. Yu, H. Yang, and P. Liao, "Abundance and characteristics of sediment-bound magnetic minerals and trace elements in karst ditch wetland: A case study from Guizhou Province, China," Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, vol. 243, Sept. 2022, Art. no. 113963. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113963

Q. Tao, Q. Zeng, M. Chen, H. He, and S. Komarneni, "Formation of saponite by hydrothermal alteration of metal oxides: Implication for the rarity of hydrotalcite," American Mineralogist, vol. 104, no. 8, pp. 1156–1164, Aug. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2019-7043

M. Dumańska-Słowik, W. Heflik, A. Pieczka, M. Sikorska, and Ł. Dąbrowa, "The transformation of nepheline and albite into sodalite in pegmatitic mariupolite of the Oktiabrski Massif (SE Ukraine)," Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, vol. 150, pp. 837–845, Nov. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2015.06.039

S. Sudarningsih et al., "Scanning Electron Microscopy and Magnetic Characterization of Iron Oxides in Suspended Sediments," Indonesian Journal of Applied Physics (IJAP), vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 209–218, Nov. 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13057/ijap.v14i2.76582

O. Rasulov, M. Schwarz, A. Horváth, F. Zoirov, and N. Fayz, "Analysis of soil contamination with heavy metals in (the three) highly contaminated industrial zones," SN Applied Sciences, vol. 2, no. 12, Nov. 2020, Art. no. 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-03813-9

C. Su et al., "Heavy Metals in Soils From Intense Industrial Areas in South China: Spatial Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment," Frontiers in Environmental Science, vol. 10, Feb. 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.820536

T. Shi et al., "Status of cadmium accumulation in agricultural soils across China (1975–2016): From temporal and spatial variations to risk assessment," Chemosphere, vol. 230, pp. 136–143, Sept. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.04.208

M. Radziemska and J. Fronczyk, "Level and Contamination Assessment of Soil along an Expressway in an Ecologically Valuable Area in Central Poland," International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 13372–13387, Oct. 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph121013372

C. Matara, S. Osano, A. O. Yusuf, and E. O. Aketch, "Prediction of Vehicle-induced Air Pollution based on Advanced Machine Learning Models," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 12837–12843, Feb. 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.6678

V. B. Kadam, A. V. Tejankar, and S. K. Sirsat, "The Study of Heavy Metal Contamination in Industrial Soils of Aurangabad Using GIS Techniques," Journal of Geomatics, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 53–61, Apr. 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58825/jog.2023.17.1.73

P. S. Harikumar, U. P. Nasir, and M. P. M. Rahman, "Distribution of heavy metals in the core sediments of a tropical wetland system," International Journal of Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 225–232, Mar. 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03327626

S. Salim, R. S. Mohammed, and I. M. Kareem, "Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination of Groundwater in Rural Areas of Duhok City, Iraq," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 15149–15153, Aug. 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.7501

B. A. Maher, "Magnetic properties of some synthetic sub-micron magnetites," Geophysical Journal International, vol. 94, no. 1, pp. 83–96, July 1988. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1988.tb03429.x