article · Desalination and Water Treatment
An environmental assessment evaluated heavy metal contamination and seawater quality across six coastal sites along the Agadir coastline in Morocco. The sampling covered Aglou Beach, Wassay Beach, Douira Desalination Plant, Agadir Beach, Anza Beach, and Cap Ghir. Measured concentrations of heavy metals ranged from 10 to 70 micrograms per litre for cadmium, 24 to 440 micrograms per litre for mercury, 20 to 85 micrograms per litre for lead, 40 to 1500 micrograms per litre for zinc, and 400 to 980 micrograms per litre for iron. The highest metal concentrations and electrical conductivity values occurred at Anza Beach, whereas Cap Ghir consistently exhibited the lowest levels. Physicochemical parameters and metal concentrations were broadly similar across most sites, but elevated concentrations appeared near Anza and Douira. These variations are linked to local human activities, including industrial operations, wastewater discharges, and desalination facilities.
Coastal waters support marine ecosystems, desalination infrastructure, and local communities, but industrial expansion and wastewater discharge introduce hazardous pollutants. Assessing heavy metal concentrations helps track the environmental footprint of coastal development. Identifying pollution hotspots near industrial zones and desalination plants provides essential baseline data for environmental management and public health oversight in growing coastal regions.
This study represents early-stage baseline monitoring rather than a commercial product or service. Environmental regulators, coastal municipal authorities, and desalination plant operators could use this data to inform coastal zoning and water quality standards. However, the abstract does not indicate a direct application pathway or proprietary technology.
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The coastal region of Agadir, Morocco, is subject to various human activities and industrial development, raising concerns about potential heavy metal pollution in the surrounding seawater. This study aimed to assess the levels of heavy metals pollution in seawater along the coast of Agadir by conducting sampling at six sites: Aglou Beach (S1), Wassay Beach (S2), Douira Desalination Plant (S3), Agadir Beach (S4), Anza Beach (S5), and Cap Ghir (S6). In addition to the heavy metal analysis, various physicochemical parameters such as temperature (T°C), pH, conductivity, salinity, chlorides, sulfates, nitrate, and nitrite were measured further to understand the overall water quality in these areas. The concentration of selected metals was in the range 10 – 70 μg/l, 24 – 440 μg/l, 20 – 85 μg/l, 40 – 1500 μg/l and 400 – 980 μg/l for Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn, and Fe, respectively. The maximal concentration of these heavy metals was recorded from sampling site 5, and minimum in location 6. The pH ranges from 8.18–8.35 in stations 6 and 1, respectively. Electrical conductivity values of surface seawater ranged from 44,254 to 50,210 μS/cm at stations 6 and 5. The minimum and maximum salinity concentrations were 30.29 and 34.37 g/L in sites 4 and 3, respectively. Our results revealed that the physicochemical parameters and concentrations of heavy metals were nearly identical across all zones apart from Anza and Douira. This is probably related to anthropogenic activities (industrial, wastewater, desalination plants, etc.…) in these two areas.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100129
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