Assessment of concentration in contaminated soil by potentially toxic elements using electrical properties.

Soils contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) which affect human health, such as zinc, lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, were applied. The aims of this study are to judge contamination of soil and also to evaluate concentration of contaminated soil using electrical properties such as electrical resistivity and permittivity. The frequency was applied in the experiment ranged from 100 Hz to 10 MHz. As a result, the values of electrical resistivity and permittivity of each soil contaminated by PTEs could be presented as a function related to frequency and could determine whether the soil was contaminated. Also, results indicated that electrical properties give a reliable estimation of concentrations of PTEs contamination in soil.