Abstract
This geochemical study explored the distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), such as As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, U, and Zn, along soil profiles of a metallurgical and industrial area in Kosovo, with the aim of assessing geochemical background and contamination threshold of PTEs in soil, and defining surface and vertical level and extent of soil contamination by PTEs. The geochemical background was assessed by exploratory data analysis of PTE concentrations in soil profiles. The upper limit of geochemical background (contamination threshold) was used as reference value to calculate the single pollution index and establish the PTE contamination level. Cadmium, Pb, Sb, Zn were the primary soil contaminants and As, Cu, Tl the secondary ones. The main sources of soil contaminants were the Zvecan smelter for Pb, Sb, As, Cu, Tl, and the Trepca industrial complex for Cd and Zn. The highest levels of Pb and Sb contamination were found up to depths between 30 and 60 cm in soil profiles within 5 km north and south-east of the Zvecan smelter. Contamination by Pb and Sb decreased with depth and affected the whole thickness of soil profiles closer the smelter. Cadmium and Zn contamination declined with distance from the Trepca industrial complex and decreased with depth, extending down to depths of 40–90 cm and 30–70 cm, respectively. Anomalous natural concentrations of Co, Cr, and Ni were found in soils collected in the northern part of the study area, where the geology consists mainly of ultrabasic and basic magmatic rocks.
Highlights
IntroductionIn environmental geochemistry assessment of the geochemical background (or natural background) is a proper approach to establish whether the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soil are geogenic due to natural factors and processes (e.g. parent rock, morphology, climate, weathering and erosion), or have been affected by human contributions from industrial plants, vehicle traffic, agriculture and so on
In environmental geochemistry assessment of the geochemical background is a proper approach to establish whether the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soil are geogenic due to natural factors and processes, or have been affected by human contributions from industrial plants, vehicle traffic, agriculture and so on
The geochemical background and contamination threshold of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Tl, U and Zn in soils of a metallurgical and industrial area in Kosovo were determined by exploratory data analysis of their concentrations in top-to-bottom soil samples from profiles
Summary
In environmental geochemistry assessment of the geochemical background (or natural background) is a proper approach to establish whether the concentrations of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soil are geogenic due to natural factors and processes (e.g. parent rock, morphology, climate, weathering and erosion), or have been affected by human contributions from industrial plants, vehicle traffic, agriculture and so on. In the past 20 years, many studies have assessed the geochemical background of PTEs (e.g. As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni and Pb) in soil in geo-environmental settings such as industrial and mining sites as well as agricultural and urban areas, by applying geochemical and statistical methods (Chiprés et al 2009; Pérez-Sirvent et al 2009; Roca et al 2012; Hao et al 2014; Galuska et al 2016; Reimann et al 2018; Yotova et al 2018). Coarser particles blown by wind from mining and ore processing waste disposal sites, usually located near smelters, may be a secondary source of PTEs (Ettler et al 2014)
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