WRITTEN PROPOSAL
THE CONCENTRATION OF HEAVY METAL IN
WATER AND SEDIMENT OF SETIU
WETLANDS, TERENGGANU
NAZATUL IZZATI BINTI MOHD AMRI
S51479
BACHELOR OF MARINE BIOLOGY
SCHOOL OF MARINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU
2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF FIGURES ii
LIST OF ABBRIEVATIONS iii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
1.1.1 Heavy Metals 1-2
1.1.2 The Anthropogenic sources of Heavy Metal 2
1.2 Justification 3
1.3 Objectives 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Heavy Metal in Water 4
2.2 Heavy Metal in Sediment 5
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Sample Site 6-7
3.2 Sampling Work
3.2.1 Water Samples 8
3.2.2 Sediment Sampes 8
3.3 Lab Analysis
3.3.1 Water Samples 9
3.3.2 Sediment Sampes 9
3.4 Data Analysis 9
CHAPTER 4: EXPECTED OUTCOMES
4.1 Physico-chemical Parameters of Water at Setiu Wetlands 10
4.2 Concentration of Heavy Metals in Water and Sediments 10
4.3 Correlation of the Concentration of Heavy Metals in Water and Sediment 10
REFERENCES 11-13
PROJECT SCHEDULE 14
i
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
3.1.1 Map of Setiu Wetland 7
3.1.2 Map of Setiu Wetland marked with chosen survey sites, A, B and C 7
ii
LIST OF ABBRIEVATIONS
mg - Milligram
l - Litre
m - Metre
°C - Degree celcius
ml - Millilitre
mm - Millimitre
g - Gram
iii
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
1.1.1 Heavy Metals
Heavy metals are natural constituents of the crust and persistent in all parts of the
environment because they cannot be degraded or destroyed. Excessive levels of heavy
metals can be damaging to the organisms. Therefore, heavy metals are often described as
any metal that features a relatively high density and is toxic or poisonous at low
concentrations. The term heavy metal are includes essential as well as non-essential heavy
metals, which can be toxic to organisms according to their properties, availability of chemical
speciation and levels of concentration. Heavy metals such as silver (Ag), arsenic(As),
cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)
can be present in the aquatic system in both dissolved forms which may cause toxic effects
on a good diversity of organisms, including vertebrates and particulate ones including
adsorbed on sediments, suspended particulate or colloids, in transitional complexes, and
Fe/Mn hydroxides nets, linked to organic matter and carbonates (Abdullah, 2012).
The movement of metals from one location to another depends on the observation of spatial
and temporal scales. The oceans, for example, are a vast reservoir for a range of chemical
elements, and also serve as a channel for elements to return to the geosphere through
sedimentation from weathering of rocks. A reservoir may act as a catalyst for changes of
state of metals and metal compounds, without actually having incorporated those metals, as
in the case of some biologically mediated reactions (Adrienne et. al., 2008).
Heavy metals usually experience a change in the chemical form as a result of physical,
chemical and biological processes when it been introduced into an aquatic environment, so
their distribution, bioavailability and other interactions in the environment are also affected.
1
For thousands of years, human have been used heavy metals in many areas. Although many
adverse health effects of heavy metals have long been known, the exposure to these
elements still continues. Metals commonly bind to oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur containing
biological compounds, and deactivate certain enzyme systems. A large excess of metal ions
can affect the function of the membrane and mitochondria, typically causes general
weakness and malaise (Abdullah, 2012). Some heavy metals are merely beneficial, many are
highly toxic and some are nutritionally essential for a healthy life and present in small
quantities such as iron, copper, manganese, and zinc that are referred as the trace elements.
These elements are commonly found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and multivitamin
products.
1.1.2 The Anthropogenic sources of Heavy Metal
Over the last few decades, anthropogenic inputs into the marine ecosystem of heavy metals
pollutants have increased their levels to significant extent. Such contaminants appear to
build up in the sediments below. Consequently, ecosystems such as seaports or other
industrialized coastal areas having chronic metal inputs have highly contaminated
sediments.
Many study has been conducted on heavy metal contamination in soil from various
anthropogenic sources such as industrial wastes (Haines and Pocock, 1980; Parry et al., 1981;
Culbard et al., 1983; Gibson and Farmer, 1983), automobile emissions (Lagerwerff and
Specht, 1970; Fergusson et al., 1980; Garcia-Miragaya, 1984), mining activity (Davies and
Ginnever, 1979; Culbard and Johnson, 1984), and agricultural practices (Colboum and
Thornton, 1978). Other important potential anthropogenic heavy metals sources include
sewage sludge, phosphate fertilizers, manure and contaminated river sediment deposition.
From the previous study, it can be conclude that the anthropogenic heavy metals
accumulate easily in the top soil, causing potential problems such as plant and animal
toxicity, food chain accumulation, ecosystem disturbance and adverse health effects. Copper
(Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) are reported as the most common contaminants
in the aquatic environment, and their levels are usually monitored in water, sediment, and
organisms.
2
1.2 Justification
Heavy metals was chosen to be the subject of this study because heavy metals plays an
important role in the biochemical process in living organisms which would contribute to
growth, development and physiological activities (Shanker, 2008). The continuous exposure
of heavy metals to the environment may cause an adverse effect on living organisms and
ecosystem if the concentration is over permissible limits in a long term. It can cause
degradation in biochemical mechanism and gives health impact on aquatic organisms and
humans (Mudgal et al., 2010). However, there is a limitation of report on the study of heavy
metal at wetland area especially in sediment. This study would provide more information
about the concentration of heavy metals in water and sediments at Wetlands.
1.3 Objective
This project is aimed to:
i. Determine the concentration of heavy metals in water and sediment from Setiu
Wetlands, Terengganu.
ii. Shows the correlation between heavy metals in water and sediment from Setiu
Wetlands, Terengganu.
iii. Compare the result of heavy metal concentration in this study with the
recommended level by the Marine Water Quality Standard (MWQS) for Malaysia.
3
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Heavy Metal in Water
Heavy metals are transported by rivers and transferred to the coastal marine system
through estuaries. The distributions of heavy metals and their rates of reactivity vary greatly
between estuaries, depends on environmental factors, such as hydrodynamic residence
times, mixing patterns and transport processes.
Water pollution by heavy metals resulting from anthropogenic impact has caused serious
ecological problems in many parts of the world. Water column that have been
contaminated with heavy metals will cause bioaccumulation of an estuarine environment in
the food chain. Contaminants are transported and deposited downstream from the sources
through river system. Estuary is a potential sink of pollutants since most of the pollutants
could be mixed and became solid and bottom sediment through sedimentation (Morisey et
al., 2003). The lack of natural metal elimination processes may be the cause of the
accumulation of heavy metals. As a result, heavy metals within the aquatic environment
may shift from one compartment to a great extent, including the biota, and often will have
harmful effects.
The Department of Environment reported higher concentrations of heavy metals in the
waters off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia have the highest concentration of heavy
metals compared to other areas as reported from The Department of Environment due to
the extensive land use and industrialization. Approximately all the samples collected from
the coastal waters of Malaysia contained values of 0.05mg/l lead, 0.01mg/l copper and
0.005mg/l cadmium above the proposed standards.
4
2.2 Heavy Metal in Sediment
Heavy metal contamination in soil or sediment is a serious problem than air or water
pollution, because heavy metals are usually tightly bound in the soil's surface layers by the
organic components. The soil is therefore an important geochemical sink which accumulates
heavy metals quickly and usually depletes them very slowly by leaching into aquifers of the
groundwater or bioaccumulating into plants. More than 90% of the heavy metal load in
aquatic systems is bound to the suspended particulate matter and sediments.
Sediments in aquatic environments are a significant sink of heavy metals. Distribution of
heavy metals in sediments closest to inhabited areas may provide proof of the
anthropogenic effects on habitats to researchers and help determine the risks associated
with discharged human waste. Due to their large capacity for adsorption, fine-grained
sediments are a major repository for trace metal and a record of the temporal changes in
contamination (Abdullah, 2012). Thus, sediments can be used to reconstruct history and
have been used as sources of emissions over the last decades. The core studies have been
proved to be a great method for determining the impact on depositional environments of
anthropogenic and natural processes. The metal contents in the sediments are also usually
used to describe metal contamination in various environments.
For instance, a study conducted by Yap et al., (2002) focused on copper (Cu) and lead (Pb)
concentrations in offshore and intertidal sediments on Peninsular Malaysia's western coast.
From the result, it found that the total concentration of copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) from the
west coast of Peninsular Malaysia were found to be generally low and similar to those
already reported in other localities of Malaysia. The higher metal levels for the offshore
sediment indicated that the offshore area of the Straits of Malacca had receive impact from
the sea-based activities. The elevated metal levels found in the intertidal sediments could be
due to land-based activities (Yap et al., 2002).
5
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Sampling Site
Setiu Wetlands as shown in Figure 3.1.1 is located in the north-eastern part of the
Peninsular Malaysia, facing the southern part of South China Sea is chosen as the sampling
site for this study because one of the ecosystem at Setiu Wetlands is mangrove. Mangrove
ecosystem act as a key crucial maker within estuarine systems that serve as natural habitat
for fish and crustacean.
Water and sediment samples will be collected at three locations along Setiu Wetlands as
shown in Figure 3.1.2. Location A is located near to sea opening, location B is between
location A (sea opening) and C (river mouth) while location C is located near to the river
mouth of Setiu River. The differences of location are important in this study to show that the
distribution or occurrence of heavy metals are also depend or effected by the flow of the
river or sea. Water quality parameters such as temperature, salinity, pH also will be
measured in situ by using a Salinity Conductivity Temperature (SCT) meter as the solubility
of heavy metal pollutants in seawater is controlled by those parameters. Thus, it can be
discussed to relate with the concentration of heavy metals at each site.
6
Figure 3.1.1: Map of Setiu Wetland.
Figure 3.1.2: Map of Setiu Wetland marked with chosen survey sites, A, B and C.
7
3.2 Sampling Work
3.2.1 Water Samples
Water samples at each site, A, B and C will be collected using Van Dorn water sampler at 1m
depth and stored in 1 litre polypropylene bottles. Three replicate will be made at each site
for a constant result. The samples then will be preserved with 10% of nitric acid (HNO 3) at
room temperature prior to heavy metal analysis.
3.2.2 Sediment Samples
Sediment samples will be scoop twice using Scoop-shaped samplers at each site. Three
replicate will be made at each site for a constant result. Next, samples will kept in clean,
sterile polyvinyl bottles and placed at 4°C prior to trace metal analysis.
8
3.3 Lab Analysis
Method to be used for lab analysis is as described by Mat Amin et al., 2018 with some
modifications.
3.3.1 Water Samples
The water samples will be filtered through a 125 mm size filter paper (Whatman No 2) and
kept in glass beaker for the analysis of heavy metals.
3.3.2 Sediment Samples
Sediment samples will be dry in a furnace at 500°C for 5 hours. After that, the samples will be
ground with a mortar and pestle at room temperature. The samples then will weight for 0.2g
and add 2 mL of hydrochloric acid (HCl). The weight samples will be heat on a hot plate until
it dried. After it dry, samples will be allowed to cool then add 10 mL of 20% nitric acid
(HNO3). The mixture will be heat once again in water bath for 1 hour. After the heating
process, the volume will be made up to 50 mL using Milli-Q water. Afterward, the mixture
will be filtered through 125 mm size filter paper (Whatman No 2). The filtrate will be kept in
glass beaker for the analysis of heavy metals.
3.4 Data Analysis
The analysis of heavy metals in both water and sediment samples will be done by using an
Inductive-coupled plasma-mass spectrophotometer (ICP-MS). The correlation of the
occurrence of heavy metals in water and sediment samples will determine using the formula
of Pearson’s correlation.
9
CHAPTER 4
EXPECTED OUTCOME
4.1 Physico-chemical Parameters of Water at Setiu Wetlands
Location A have the highest value especially salinity and conductivity, followed by C and B.
This is because location A is situated at the sea opening, thus it receives a direct input of
seawater. The topography of this location (Figure 3.1.2) and the location of aquaculture
activity nearby might contribute to the quality of water measured in this area.
4.2 Concentration of Heavy Metals in Water and Sediments
The concentration of heavy metals in water for all sites, A, B, and C are expected to followed
the trend of copper>zinc>nickel. Sites A have the highest concentration of all heavy metals
compare to other site.
4.3 Correlation of the Concentration of Heavy Metals in Water and Sediment
The correlation of occurrence of heavy metals in water and sediment are expected to have a
weak or no correlation for all sites.
10
REFERENCE
Abdullah, R. (2012). Heavy metals distribution in water, sediment and aquatic species from
Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve, Perak, Malaysia. (Rahimah Abdullah. Master’s
thesis, University of Malaya).
Adrienne, R.F., Peter, V.H., Brian, C.H., (2008) Spatial and seasonal patterns of mercury
concentrations in fish from the St. Lawrence River at Cornwall, Ontario:
Implications for monitoring. Journal of Great Lakes Research 34, 72-85.
Colbourn, P., and Thornton, I., (1978). Lead pollution in agricultural soils. J. Soil Sci. 29513-
526.
Culbard, E.B., and Johnson, L.R., (1984). An assessment of arsenic in housedust and garden
soils from south-west England and their implications for human health. p. 276-281.
In Environmental contamination. CEP, Edinburgh.
Culbard, E.B., Thornton, I., Watt, J., Moorcroft, S., and Brooks, K., (1983). Sources and
distribution of lead and cadmium in United Kingdom dusts and soils. p. 426-429. In
Proc. of 4th Int. Conf. on Heavy Metals in the Environment. CEP, Edinburgh.
Davies, B.E., and Ginnever, R.C., (1979). Trace metal contamination of soils and vegetables
in Shipham, Somerset. J. Agric. Sci. Camb. 93:753-756
Fergusson, J.E., Hayes, R.W., Tan, S.Y., and Sim, H.T., (1980). Heavy metal pollution by traffic
in Christchurch, New Zealand: Lead and cadmium content of dust, soil and plant
samples. N. Z. J. Sci. 23:293-310
Garcia-Miragaya, J., (1984). Levels, chemical fractionation and solubility of lead in roadside
soils of Caracas, Venezuela. Soil Sci. 138:147-152
Gibson, M.J., and Farmer, J.G., (1983). A survey of trace metal contamination in Glasgow
urban soils. In Proc. 4th Int. Conf. on Heavy Metals in the Environment. 2:1141-1144.
11
Haines, R.C., and Pocock, R.L., (1980). Heavy metal land contamination: Background levels
and site case histories in the London Borough of Greenwich. Res. Note 16.
Birmingham, Joint Unit for Research on the Urban Environment. Univ. of Aston,
Birmingham.
Kamaruzzaman, B. Y., Akhbar John, B., Maryam, B. Z., Jalal, K. C. A., & Shahbuddin, S. (2012).
Bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn) in Scylla serrata (Forsskal 1775)
collected from Sungai Penor, Pahang, Malaysia. Pertanika Journal of Tropical
Agricultural Sciences, 35: 183-190.
Lagenverff, J.V., and Specht, A.W., (1970). Contamination of roadside soil and vegetation
with cadmium, nickel, lead and zinc. Environ. Sci. Technol. 4583-586.
Mat Amin, N., Wan Omar, W. B., Abd Kadir, N. H., Mohd Razali, N. S., Mohd Ubaidillah, F. N.
A., & Ikhwanuddin, M. (2018). Analysis of trace metals (Ni, Cu, And Zn) in water, mud
and various tissues of Mud Crab, Scylla Olivacea from Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu,
Malaysia. Journal of Service Science and Management , 13(2), 5–14. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330349309_Analysis_of_trace_metals_N
i_Cu_And_Zn_in_water_mud_and_various_tissues_of_Mud_Crab_Scylla_Olivacea_fr
om_Setiu_Wetlands_Terengganu_Malaysia
Morisey, D.J., Turner, S. J., Mills, G.N., Williamson, R.B. & Wise, B. E. (2003). Factor affecting
the distribution of benthic macrofauna in estuaries contaminated by urban runoff.
Mar. Environ. Res., 55(2), 113-116.
Mudgal, V., Madaan, N., Mudgal, A., Singh, R. B., & Mishra, S. (2010). Effect of toxic metals
on human health. The Open Nutraceuticals Journal, 3: 94-99.
Parry, G.D.R., Johnson, M.S., and Bell, R.M., (1981). Trace metal surveys of soil as a
component of strategic and local planning policy development. Environment
Pollution Ser. B 2:97-107.
Shaari, H., Abdul Razak, N. S., Wan Mohd Khalik, W. M. A., Mohamed Shazili, N. A., & Bidai,
J. (2018). Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals in Tropical Coastal Sediment of the
Northern Malacca Strait, Malaysia. Nature Environment and Pollution
Technology, 17(4), 1115–1123. Retrieved from https://www.neptjournal.com
12
Shanker, A. K. (2008). Mode of action and toxicity of trace elements. Trace elements:
Nutritional benefits. Environmental Contamination and Health, 21: 525-555.
Tovar, A., Moreno, C., Mánuel-Vez, M.P. arc a-Vargas, M. (2000). Environmental
impacts of intensive aquaculture in marine waters. Water Research, 34: 334-342.
Yap, C.K., Ismail, A., Tan, S.G., & Omar, H. (2002). Concentrations of Cu and Pb in the
offshore and intertidal sediments of the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Environ.
Int., 28, 467-479.
13
PROJECT SCHEDULE
14
