Chromium quantification in a leather tanning industrial area using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

We report the use of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for determination of soil contamination due to effluents from the leather tanning industry in Kasur district of Punjab in Pakistan. The quantitative analysis was performed by making a calibration curve for Cr using LIBS spectral line at 427.48 nm. Chromium concentration of 839 mg·kg-1 in the vicinity of an effluent drain and 1,829 mg·kg-1 in the area of an old stagnant pool was found. The leaching of Cr due to seepage of industrial effluents from deteriorating bricklined drains in horizontal direction also was observed.