Determination of the Concentration of Pb, Cu, Cr, Zn and Cd in the Waste Water(Effluent) Discharged from the Ethiopian Tannery

Waste water discharged from the industry were used for irrigation purpose in the vicinity of industrial area of Ethiopia Tannery. The waste water discharged from the tannery industry were examined for its heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Cr). For this purpose three samples of waste water from different Sites (Site 1, Site 2 and Site 3) along the channel of the tannery were collected and analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). The concentration of heavy metals in waste water discharged from the tannery industry were found that Cu 0.019-0.023, Cd 0.018-0.023, Cr 3.33-7.945, Zn 0.17-0.29 mg/L and Pb below detection limit of the instrumentation.The results are also compared with the levels of metals in the data from previous studies. Keywords: Tannery, Waste water, Heavy metals, Flame atomic absorption Spectrophotometry