how possible is it to calculate for enrichment factor when I tested for only lead and zinc
The enrichment factor ratios the concentrations of the source and sink. It can be calculated for any element and is likely to vary between elements
The enrichment factor (EF) of metals is an indicator used to assess the presence and intensity of anthropogenic contaminants. This index is usually computed by normalizing the concentrations of metals in the sample with a reference element.
[EF = Cn/Cref (sample) ÷ Bn/Cref (background)]
where:
Cn is concentration of metal in soil sample; Cref is concentration of reference element in soil sample; Bn is background concentration of study metal and Bref is the background concentration of reference element.
Some researchers classified EF into 5 categories as stated below:
EF ≤ 1 – no enrichment;
2< EF< 5 – minimal enrichment;
5
thank you sir @Taiwo Ayodele.
having known the formula is it possible to use metals not analysed as the reference metal?
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