Risk Elements In Soils Research Articles

Pitfalls of distinguishing anthropogenic and geogenic reasons for risk elements in soils around coal-fired power plants: from a case study in the Northwestern Czech Republic to general recommendations

PurposeMany historical industrial activities, including coal mining and burning, have started near geogenic anomalies. It resulted in spatial overlap of anthropogenic and natural causes of elevated soil risk element contents. Here, distinguishing between anthropogenic and geogenic contributions cannot be achieved by conventional geochemical soil mapping, in particular, when only pseudo-total contents of risk elements were obtained, soil depth profiles were not acquired, and geological maps were not implemented.MethodsThe local geology, topography and anthropogenic activities were taken into account when planning the soil sampling. Soil profiles were obtained using an auger sampler. Total contents of risk and lithogenic elements were obtained by X-ray fluorescence. Aqua regia extraction and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were also used for analyses.ResultsCoal use in the study area increased the soil contents of Cd, Hg, and Zn in 7 km circle east of the major power plant, typically to 2 × local background in topsoils. In the profiles closest to that plant, Cd emissions have already been translocated to soils below ploughed horizons that weaken the contamination signal in topsoils. The highest As and Pb contents in the Most Basin soils originated from a local geogenic anomaly and not coal burning.ConclusionCommon soil mapping projects and data mining routines cannot decipher anthropogenic contribution to the soil risk elements unequivocally, as it is demonstrated in this paper. When working in geogenically anomalous areas, a fundamental knowledge of the mechanisms controlling the content of risk elements in soils is required.

Living with Contamination: Insights into an Epigeic Macrofaunal Community in an Area Extremely Polluted by Risk Elements

Five meadows along the Litavka River highly contaminated with heavy metals from mining were sampled for insects and spiders using pitfall traps. The sites are in the Příbram region of central Bohemia, Czechia, which was previously reported as one of the most polluted areas in Europe due to intensive mining and metal processing. The determination of pseudo-total risk elements in soil revealed that all the sampled sites were contaminated with heavy metals, especially As, Cd, Pb, and Zn, with levels ranging from moderate to extreme. The trap results showed a total of 1142 beetles from 21 species, 946 ants from 16 species, 548 spiders from 28 species, and 96 harvestmen from 3 species. With the exception of the scabrous ground beetle, Carabus scabriusculus, all captured specimens were species common to the wet meadows and forest edges of Czechia. With respect to species richness, the dominant spider and beetle taxa were less abundant at the heavily polluted locations than at the moderately polluted locations. In the case of ants, however, there was no relationship between contamination level and abundance or species richness. Thus, it is worthwhile recording and analyzing the differential changes in abundance of the dominant spider and beetle species in polluted areas.

Comparison of the Concentration of Risk Elements in Alluvial Soils Determined by pXRF In Situ, in the Laboratory, and by ICP-OES

The aim of the study was to compare the concentrations of risk elements (As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in alluvial soil, which were measured by a portable X-ray fluorescence analyser (pXRF) in situ (FIELD) and in the laboratory (LABORATORY). Subsequently, regression equations were developed for individual elements through the method of construction of the regression model, which compare the results of pXRF with classical laboratory analysis (ICP-OES). The accuracy of the measurement, expressed by the coefficient of determination (R2), was as follows in the case of FIELD–ICP-OES: Pb (0.96), Zn (0.92), As (0.72), Mn (0.63), Cu (0.31) and Ni (0.01). In the case of LABORATORY–ICP-OES, the coefficients had values: Pb (0.99), Zn (0.98), Cu and Mn (0.89), As (0.88), Ni (0.81). A higher dependence of the relationship was recorded between LABORATORY–ICP-OES than between FIELD–ICP-OES. An excellent relationship was recorded for the elements Pb and Zn, both for FIELD and LABORATORY (R2 higher than 0.90). The elements Cu, Mn and As have a worse tightness in the relationship; however, the results of the model have shown its applicability for common use, e.g., in agricultural practice or in monitoring the quality of the environment. Based on our results, we can say that pXRF instruments can provide highly accurate results for the concentration of risk elements in the soil in real time for some elements and meet the principle of precision agriculture: an efficient, accurate and fast method of analysis.

Environmental impact assessment of risk elements from railway transport with the use of pollution indices, a biotest and bioindicators

The paper evaluates the accumulation of selected risk elements in soils and biological tissues caused by railway transport. Samples of soil, pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) bark and needles, hoof fungus (Fomes fomentarius L.) and red-stemmed feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi L.) were analyzed for the content of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. The samples were collected in five sites (A, B, C, D, E each separated by 500 m) covering a combined distance of around 2 km along railway tracks (Central Poland). The geo-accumulation index (I geo), single pollution index (PI), contamination factor (Cf), degree of contamination (C deg), potential ecological risk (RI), and the probability of toxicity (MERMQ) index were calculated to determine soil pollution with risk elements. Soil toxicity was assessed with the Phytotoxkit biotest which measures the inhibition of seed germination and root growth in Sorghum saccharatum L. The calculated indices and the results of the phytotoxicity biotest revealed the highest levels of contamination in the proximity of a road overpass (site D). The accumulation of risk elements in soil was strongly correlated with pollutant levels in biological tissues. Zinc was the most abundant element in biological tissues, especially in pine bark and feathermoss. Soil pollution indices, biotest results, and plant and fungus bioindicators play an important role in environmental assessments of railway transport.

Mobility and bioaccessibility of risk elements in the area affected by the long-term opencast coal mining

The potential environmental hazards of risk elements in the area affected by the opencast coal mine and/or coal combustion for plants and animals was assessed by using a suite of laboratory bioaccessibility tests. The chosen sampling area was in the vicinity of the largest coal mine spoil in the Sokolov coal basin (Czech Republic). For an estimation of the oral bioaccessibility of the risk elements in soils, the physiologically based extraction tests were applied. Among the available methods for estimating the pulmonary bioaccessibility of elements, the Gamble’s and Hatch’s tests were chosen. The results showed elevated pseudo-total soil contents of As, Be, Cd, Cu, Pb, V, and Zn. Among these elements, only Cd showed substantial bioaccessibility for plants, as documented by the high Risk Assessment Code, reaching up to 47%, and the highest plant-availability, where the maximum Bioaccumulation Factor in plants reached up to 4.5. The simulated body fluids showed the highest bioaccessibility of Cd, but also substantial bioaccessible pools of As and Be, the elements frequently found at the brown coal mining and processing areas. For better understanding of the risk element bioaccessibility under the specific conditions, the released element pools should be related to the particular soil physicochemical parameters.

Impact of expressway on physiology of plants and accumulation of risk elements in forest ecosystems

This study analyses the effects of expressways on physiology and risk elements content in plants (Quercus cerris L., Prunus spinosa L., Melica uniflora Retz.) and soils. Study forest stands are located at a distance of 30 m to 8100 m from the expressway ‘R1 Nitra – Tekovské Nemce’ (southwest Slovakia). The effect of distance from the road on the content of cadmium (Cd) in soils indicated an increase of the element in mineral layers in the 30 m variant; excessive Cd values were recorded in O-horizons and in the background zone. Also copper (Cu) showed a marked enrichment of surface horizons caused by car traffic. The results of redundancy discriminant analysis showed that the most important environmental variables related to physiological parameters of plants were the content of Cd and Cu in plants (P < 0.05) and the content of Cu in soils (P < 0.05). However, M. uniflora species responded most sensitively to a decrease of average chlorophyl content as a consequence of excessive accumulation of Cd in leaf tissues. The obtained results indicate risk of exposure to risk elements in soils and plants of forest stands under conditions of polluted air, but also under specific environmental conditions.

Mobility and plant availability of risk elements in soil after long-term application of farmyard manure.

Crop rotation long-term field experiments were established in 1955 and 1956 at three locations in the Czech Republic (Čáslav, Ivanovice, and Lukavec) differing in their climatic and soil physicochemical properties. The effect of long-term application of farmyard manure and farmyard manure+NPK treatments on plant-available, easily mobilizable, potentially mobilizable, and pseudo-total contents of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) contents in soils (in 2013) as well as the uptake of these elements by winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain and straw were analyzed in the two following seasons: 2012 and 2013. The treatments resulted in increasing the soil pH level when compared to the control, but the cation exchange capacity remained unchanged. Although all fertilizers were applied for six decades, the pseudo-total concentration elements in both the soil and wheat plants stayed far below those of the Czech and European threshold limits for agricultural soils and cereals for human nutrition and feedstuff. Although the mobile pools of As, Cu, and Zn were slightly changed at the treated soils, these changes were not related to the element uptake by the wheat plants. Moreover, the effect of the location and growing season was more decisive for the differences in soil and plant element contents than for the individual treatments. Thus, the long-term application of farmyard manure did not result in any substantial change in risk element contents in both soils and winter wheat plants.

Impact of Floods and Their Frequency on Content and Distribution of Risk Elements in Alluvial Soils

The aim of this study was to compare the pollution levels of risk elements in flooded and non- flooded alluvial soils as a function of inundation fre- quency and river distance, depth of soil horizon, and pollution origin. Totally, 43 soil profiles of flooded and non-flooded soils were sampled in two layers (topsoil and subsoil). The total contents of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn were measured and grouped according to the assumed geogenic or anthropogenic origin. Flooded soils were classified according to inun- dation stage/river distance. Concerning the depth gradi- ent, it can be concluded that the content of anthropo- genic risk elements decreased with the depth, while geogenic risk elements revealed no trend. The distance from the river had no influence on the distribution of anthropogenic risk elements in soil. On the contrary, geogenic risk elements showed increasing concentra- tions with increasing distance. These results indicate that frequency of floods has no influence on the risk elements distribution in soil. The process of sedimenta- tion seems to be the main factor influencing the level of pollution, it differs between groups of anthropogenic and geogenic risk elements. The result of this country- wide study shows higher levels of soil contamination in flooded areas even without significant point sources of pollution, than in non-flooded areas in standard agricul- tural conditions.

The Contents of Selected Risk Elements and Organic Pollutants in Soil and Vegetation within a Former Military Area

The contents of selected risk elements (As, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Sb, Ti, V, Zn), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and n-alkanes were determined in soils collected at the former military training base Milovice-Mladá (Czech Republic), where military activities were terminated in 1991. Seventeen soil samples were collected from the former tank shooting range called “Benátecký vrch” (area 16.2 ha) covered with herbaceous vegetation cover. No sample exceeding the threshold limits for maximum permissible limits of risk elements in soil was identified. The contents of organic pollutants in soil also did not pose a potential environmental risk. The risk element contents (especially Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in aboveground biomass of Dactylis glomerata (Poaceae), Hypericum perforatum (Hypericaceae), Galium verum (Rubiaceae), and Plantago lanceolata (Plantaginaceae) sampled close to the soil sampling points indicated, however, potential environmental damage originating from the municipal landfill covering a substantial part of the area since 1995.

Investigation of polluted alluvial soils by magnetic susceptibility methods: a case study of the Litavka River

Serious pollution of alluvial soils by a wide range of potentially toxic elements is usually observed in the valleys with mining and metallurgical industry. To outline areas of increased risk elements inputs, measurements of soil magnetic susceptibility can be used. This method is based on the measurement of the concentration of ferrimagnetic minerals of anthropogenic origin, mainly iron oxides, which are closely associated with risk elements such as heavy metals. The aim of this study is to examine the link between magnetic susceptibility of poorly drained Litavka River alluvial soils located in the mining/smelting region of Příbram (Czech Republic) and the observed high concentration of risk elements in soils. Surface volume magnetic susceptibility and the vertical distribution of magnetic susceptibility in soil profiles were measured in situ. On the basis of field measurements, selected parts of soil cores were sampled for a detailed magnetic and chemical analysis. Our results demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between magnetic susceptibility and soil concentration of Cu, Pb, and Zn. The magnetically enhanced soil layer, relatively low frequency-dependent susceptibility, presence of Verwey transition, and scanning electron microscope observations suggested a prevalence of coarse magnetite/maghemite, likely of anthropogenic origin. However, the magnetic properties in-situ also reflected the natural soil conditions and soil processes. The high content of organic matter, varying reductive/oxidative condition, and vertical migration of magnetic phases were the main factors influencing the observed magnetic susceptibility values.

Transfer of Risk elements in soil–bilberry system

AbstractKuklova M., Kukla J.: Transfer of risk elements in soil-bilberry system. Ekologia (Bratislava), Vol. 32, No. 2, p. 211-219, 2013.Transfer of Al, Cr and Ni in the soil-plant (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) system was examined in four forest ecosystems in the localities Muraň (skeli-humic podzols) and Hliniky (dystric cambisols) in the protected zone of the NP Slovensky raj. In case of Al, the transfer coefficients were low, exceeding 1 only in the litter horizon on the damaged plot in the locality Muraň. The Al content in soils was the highest at a depth of 60-70 cm (10 249 mg kg-1) on the undamaged plot in Hliniky. The amounts of Al accumulated in bilberries were higher than the background value in plants, and they made 11-22% of the maximum Al contents detected in Ooh horizons of the studied soils. Cr on the damaged plot in the locality Muraň displayed higher transfer coefficients (range 1.09-11.3) in comparison with the other plots (0.03-0.59). Considering the value representing the maximum Cr amount detected in Ooh horizon in the corresponding locality as 100%, the content of Cr in bilberries growing on the damaged plot in Muraň was 109%, in contrast to 2% on the damaged plot in Hliniky. The concentrations of Ni in soils exceeded limit values in the surface humus horizons on all studied plots. Ni displayed higher transfer coefficients, exceeding 1 only on the damaged plot in the locality Muraň. Bilberries had accumulated 6-28% Ni in the locality Muraň, and 2-6% in the locality Hliniky of the maximum amounts detected in Ooh horizons of soils. The differences in mean values of transfer coefficients for Al, Ni and Cr were statistically significant (p < 0.05).

BIOCHAR PROPERTIES FROM DIFFERENT MATERIALS OF PLANT ORIGIN

Biochar is a highly porous solid substance, made of different biomass by pyrolysis. Conditions of pyrolysis as well materials used in it can substantially affect biochar properties. Samples with sufficient amount of stable carbon can be added into soil to be sequestered; high sorption surface of biochar could characterize it as a soil additive, able to immobilize risk elements in soil. Soil contamination by risk elements is a serious problem needs to be solved. There are available remediation methods, using plants to remove these elements from soil. Biomass produced during remediation has limited application and biochar production could be one option. Plants for our experiments were grown on contaminated soil of Přibram area. For the experiment they were used: meadow grass, wood mixture of poplar and willows twigs and finally maize. Biomass of these plants was used to prepare biochar. The effect of the type of biomass and the final temperature of pyrolysis on specific surface area and yield of biochar was studied in our experiments. Both temperature and plant material affected properties of biochar. While the final temperature increased, the specific surface area increased and the yield of biochar decreased. The highest surface area was found at biochar from wood mixture and the lowest one from hay of grass.

The effect of risk elements in soil to nitric oxide metabolism in tobacco plants

We studied changes of endogenous nitric oxide content (NO) and of reactive nitrogen species metabolism in transgenic tobacco with prolonged life span (SAG) and in wild tobacco (WT) cultivated in the control and in the polluted soil. There was no difference in the metal accumulation between WT and SAG plants however SAG ones showed better ability to cope with risk elements, as they retained higher membrane stability index and chlorophyll content together with better photochemical efficiency and lower deepoxidation status. Risk elements induced higher NO production in the youngest leaves of both plant types. Low and middle leaves of both WT and SAG plants showed similar activities of nitrate reductase and nitrosoglutathione reductase. Increase of nitrotyrosine content in leaf soluble proteins suggests that risk elements induced nitrosative stress in both plant types.

Phytoextraction of cadmium, copper, zinc and mercury by selected plants

During the years 2006 and 2007 the phytoextraction ability of maize (<I>Zea mays</I>), willow-tree (<I>Salix smithiana</I>) and poplar (<I>Populus nigra</I> × <I>P. maximowiczii</I>) to accumulate cadmium, copper, mercury and zinc was investigated. Small scale field experiment was carried out on soil contaminated with chemicals from the waste incineration plant in Hradec Kralové (Czech Republic). Screening of this allotment showed very different contamination of all observed risk elements on places where the material intended to be burnt without safety of leakage into soil. Grown plants showed the different accumulation of observed elements in plant tissues as well as the influence of total content of the risk elements in soil. The highest Cd (1.5–1.73 mg/kg) and Zn (242–268 mg/kg) concentrations were found in willow-tree biomass mainly in the leaves. Cu and Hg were mostly accumulated by maize roots (14.6–15.8 mg Cu/kg and 1.3–7.4 mg Hg/kg) and lower amount was found out in willow-tree leaves again. In reference to total production of each plant the maximum Cd and Zn uptake by aboveground biomass was found in poplars (201 mg Cd/m<sup>2</sup> and 38 200 mg Zn/m<sup>2</sup>) and maize, which showed high Zn uptake. The biggest amount of copper (2563 mg Cu/m<sup>2</sup>) was accumulated by aboveground maize biomass on the collection point with the highest Cu concentration in soil and by poplar (2394 mg Cu/m<sup>2</sup>) on the other collection point. The highest Hg uptake differs in reference to total Hg content in soil; willow-tree has the highest uptake on the place with lower Hg content in soil (44.6 mg Hg/m<sup>2</sup>) and maize has the highest uptake on the place with higher Hg content in soil (92 mg Hg/m<sup>2</sup>).