Evaluation of soil hygiene in the vicinity of a metallurgical factory
1998
Toth, J. | Tomas, J. | Hruskovicova, A. (Slovenska Polnohospodarska Univ., Nitra (Slovak Republic))
Soil hygiene was evaluated according to total, releasable, mobile, and acceptable forms of heavy metals in casual nexus with the composition of solid emissions from the metallurgical works Kovohuty Krompachy (Slovak Republic) and deposited wastes, and with the geochemical anomalies in this region. Experimental localities were selected in relation to the operative emission source of the metallurgical plant, which has been operating since 1920 (production of iron, later copper). The chemical composition of solid light ashes containing heavy metals is different, depending especially on their origin. Light ashes emitted from shaft furnaces have a high content of zinc and lead, while those of flame furnaces and convertors contain a high level of copper, iron, and arsenic. Soil samples from the experimental localities (Krompachy, Richnava, Kluknava, and Slovinky) were collected by the general rules of sampling valid for the basic network of monitoring agricultural soils. Also, the determination methods of heavy metals in soil were the same as those used for monitoring heavy metals in agricultural land. The most significant excess of the indication values C (for sanitation) was detected in copper and arsenic. Furthermore, the evaluated soil was also found to be contaminated by zinc, lead, nickel, and cadmium. Based on these results, 379 ha of agricultural land (of which 17% were temporarily uncultivated) have been biologically and chemically recultivated since 1995. The results showing heavy metals in the pedological probes indicate that heavy metals in soil are of anthropogenic origin, except one groundplot, where a combination of the immission effects and geochemical anomalies was revealed. Extra high contents of mobile and mobilizable forms of copper and cadmium were determined in shallow cambisols on crystalline rocks of heavy amd medium-heavy soils and in gley fluvisols
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Institute