The last decade of 20th century in Serbia (Yugoslavia) was marked with economy recession, war surroundings, and finally bombing in the period March-June 1999. Global increment of environmental pollution was one of the catastrophic consequences. War actions caused destroying of big oil refineries and reservoirs, chemical complexes and industrial objects. Afterwards, toxic and carcinogenic substances reached out to atmosphere, soil and hydrographic system. Also, ammunition with depleted uranium was used. Heavy metals are very dangerous, so that, in this paper are presented results of investigation of heavy metals contents in surface soil layers. Heavy metals are movable, by erosion processes, with possibility of reaching hydrographic network and water supply systems. Investigation was carried out at a few localities: Fruska Gora, Ivanovo, Goc and Crni Vrh. Total contents of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Mn) was determined by AAS (atomic spectrophotometry), by usage "Varian-Spectra AA-10" apparatus.

Aerobic bioremediation of oil contaminated soil was investigated on laboratory-scale for purpose of pilot-plant installation. Mineral oil was analysed using IR spectroscopy. Sediment was qualitative analysed on GC/MS. Research also included microbiological analysis.

Dans le cadre du Programme national, d'étude des " Charges critiques en métaux lourds dans les sols ", animé par l'ADEME, on a cherché à décrire, dans deux écosystèmes pédologiques contrastés, les stocks et les flux de métaux (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr) afin d'effectuer un état des lieux exhaustif de la distribution verticale des éléments traces métalliques (ETM) dans des profils de sol (solum). Ces sols, choisis en milieu forestier et éloignés de sources potentielles de pollutions, n'ont reçu que des retombées atmosphériques diffuses d'ETM. Les résultats montrent un fonctionnement actuel accumulateur pour le sol volcanique (andosol) vis-à-vis de tous les ETM étudiés. Le sol sableux (podzol) montre un fonctionnement actuel lixiviant. La démarche, qui combine l'utilisation des rapports isotopiques du plomb et d'un élément endogène de référence, le scandium, a permis de quantifier les distributions de plomb endogène et exogène, et par conséquent de préciser l'incorporation dans le sol du plomb atmosphérique. Dans les deux sols, le plomb est majoritairement exogène dans l'horizon de surface mais il migre en partie profondément, jusqu'à plus de 2 mètres. Un suivi de la contamination atmosphérique diffuse des écosystèmes devrait bénéficier de notre démarche en l'appliquant au Réseau national de mesures de la qualité des sols (RMQS)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and heavymetal (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Hg, Fe, Co, Cr, Mo) contentswere established in soil and plant samples collectedin different areas of the railway junction IławaGłówna, Poland. Soil and plant samples werecollected in four functional parts of the junction, i.e. the loading ramp, platform area, rolling stockcleaning bay and the railway siding. It was found thatthe PAH contamination of soil and plants was thehighest in the platform area and near the railwaysiding and lowest in the loading ramp and cleaning bayareas. The contamination exceeded control levels up toalmost twenty fold. The heavy metal contaminationpattern was different. The soil and plants were veryhighly contaminated in the cleaning bay and side trackareas while the loading ramp and platform areas wereless contaminated. A particularly high pollution levelwas observed for mercury in the cleaning bay area.Also lead, zinc and copper pollution levels wererelatively high in the cleaning bay and side trackareas. No significant increase in molybdenum contentwas observed in comparison with the control area.

Most livestock wastewaters treated in constructed wetlands are typically rich in ammonium N. The objective of this study was to evaluate the soil-water ammonium distribution and the diffusive flux through the soil-water interface. Wetland system 1 (WS1) was planted to rush and bulrushes, and wetland system 2 (WS2) was planted to bur-reed and cattails. Nitrogen was applied at a rate of 2.5 g m-2 d-1. Interstitial soil water was sampled at 9, 24, 50, and 70 m from the inlet. In both wetlands, we found that NH4+ diffusion gradient and N losses were highest in the wetland system with lowest water depth. From other studies, we knew that shallower depths may have promoted a more effective interfacing of nitrifying and denitrifying environments. In turn, this N reduction in the water column may be the reason for steady NH4+-N upward diffusion fluxes. The assumed mechanism for N removal has been nitrification and denitrification but ammonia volatilization could also have occurred. Although diffusion may explain a significant portion of the material transport between the soil-water interface, the large differences in concentrations between outlet and inlet need further explanation.