Distribution of heavy metals in cutover peat bog soils

Abstract

The paper contains the research results on content of total and mobile heavy metals compounds (lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc) in soils of the cutover peat bog Zenginsky located in the central part of the Kirov Region. As a result of the conducted researches it is revealed that the content of elements in different peat layers in control site (zinc up to 2,60; copper up to 0,90; lead up to 5,60; cadmium up to 0,59 mg/kg of soil) does not exceed the level of their maximum-permissible concentration and background contents in soils of the Kirov Region. For the undeveloped site the increased content of total and mobile compounds of the studied metals in the top layers is noted; it can be caused by biogenous accumulation of these elements by plants. The developed soils (the drained sites) are characterized by considerable fluctuations of elements content both in different profiles, and in the different layers of the same profile. Here the maximum content of elements in separate layers is much higher than control (zinc up to 126,0; copper up to 34,0; lead up to 17,0; cadmium up to 1,2 mg/kg of soil). Economic use of the peat bogs leads to an active mineralization of the top part of the remained peat mass. As a result of these processes stability of biogeochemical cycles of separate elements is broken. At the same time, the received data allow to consider soils of control sites as indicators of surrounding environment condition. The good safety of peat deposits gives the opportunity to study processes of accumulation and migration of chemical elements.