Influence of the soil sealing on the geoaccumulation index of heavy metals and various pollution factors

Przemysław Charzyński,Andrzej Plak,Agnieszka Hanaka

doi:10.1007/s11356-016-8209-5

Abstract

Soil sealing belongs to the most destructive and damaging processes to the soil environment. Soil sealing interrupts or greatly restricts the exchange of matter and energy between the biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere and the soil environment. The aim of this study was to compare the content of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn) of Ekranic Technosols by applying indicators such as geoaccumulation index (Igeo), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution load index (PLI), which allowed to determine quantitatively the impact of the soil sealing degree on the content of heavy metals and to distinguish natural from anthropogenic sources of origin of heavy metals. In general, 42 soils from different parts of the city of Toruń (NW Poland) were sampled and divided into three groups according to the degree of soil sealing: completely sealed with asphalt or concrete (A), semi-permeable (partially sealed with cobblestones and concrete paving slabs (B)), and reference (non-sealed) (C). The results indicate that the artificial sealing in urban areas slightly affects the content of heavy metals in soils. However, based on PLI, Igeo, and EF, it was found that the sealing has influence on soil properties and unsealed soil is the most exposed to the accumulation of pollutants.

Highlights

Understanding the complexity of the functioning of soil systems and the interaction with human activity is important in urban areas
Soil sealing significantly reduced the content of OCTOT and NTOT compared to non-sealed soil
The results indicate that the artificial sealing in urban areas slightly affects the content of heavy metals in soils

Summary

Introduction

Understanding the complexity of the functioning of soil systems and the interaction with human activity is important in urban areas. Due to a continuous human existence and activities, these soils are very often truncated or buried under transported material, as well as highly compacted and contaminated. As a consequence, their hydrological characteristics, degree of compaction and disturbances, and relocations of material from original horizons are extremely different from those of natural soil types. Urban soils are changed as a result of activity of various processes, i.e., sealing, compaction, storage, and mixing (Plak et al 2015; Wei et al 2013).

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion