The objectives of this study are to test the penetration depth and determine the soil content in hydrocarbons’ components BTEX, PAHs, and TPH, after vertical movement of crude oil through undisturbed soils of different textures, and to assess their risk. The experiment simulates the fate of oil spills in the cold season. Three soil types were investigated: a sandy-textured eutric Arenosol, AR-eu; a loamy-textured haplic chernozem, CH-ha; and a clayey-textured, swell-shrink, Luvic Chernic Phaeozem, PH-ch-lv. Undisturbed small-scale lysimeters, 0.3 m in diameter and 1 m in length, were used. Crude oil was first applied and then water. TPH, BTEX, and PAH retention in the soils depends on soil texture. PH-ch-lv soil stored most of them in the upper horizons. TPH, BTEX, and PAH were found in different amounts as percentage from the applied ones, TPH as 48% (PH-ch-lv), and > 76% in the other two soils. BTEX was stored as 1.6% from the applied in PH-ch-lv, 5.1–5.1% in CH-ha and AR-eu soils, while PAH ranged from 15.1% in AR-eu soil to 24.8% in PH-ch-lv and 31% in CH-ha. Though subject to volatilization, chemical transformation, and bioremediation, TPH, BTEX, and PAH stored in soils present a health risk if they reach the groundwater. PH-ch-lv appears to be the most resilient soil to oil pollution. The results concern different soil textures and might be used in various countries. Future experimentation should focus on soil behavior in relation to crops, water, and certain crude oil types.

The aim of this study is to investigate how the presence of Cu influences tebuconazole (Teb) sorption onto contrasting soil types and two important constituents of the soil sorption complex: hydrated Fe oxide and humic substances. Tebuconazole was used in commercial form and as an analytical-grade chemical at different Teb/Cu molar ratios (1:4, 1:1, 4:1, and Teb alone). Increased Cu concentrations had a positive effect on tebuconazole sorption onto most soils and humic substances, probably as a result of Cu−Teb tertiary complexes on the soil surfaces. Tebuconazole sorption increased in the following order of different Teb/Cu ratios 1:4 > 1:1 > 4:1 > without Cu addition, with the only exception for the Leptosol and ferrihydrite. The highest K f value was observed for humic substances followed by ferrihydrite, the Cambisol, the Arenosol, and the Leptosol. The sorption of analytical-grade tebuconazole onto all matrices was lower, but the addition of Cu supported again tebuconazole sorption. The Teb/Cu ratio with the highest Cu addition (1:4) exhibited the highest K f values in all matrices with the exception of ferrihydrite. The differences in tebuconazole sorption can be attributed to the additives present in the commercial product. This work proved the importance of soil characteristics and composition of the commercially available pesticides together with the presence of Cu on the behavior of tebuconazole in soils.

This paper summarizes research work on the seasonal and profile dynamics of phosphorus content and the activity of phosphatase in soil next to the nitrogen industry. The results are presented of the total phosphorus (TP) and available phosphorus (AP) content and the alkaline phosphatase (AlP) and acid phosphatase (AcP) against the basic physicochemical properties (clay, pH, total organic carbon, total nitrogen). Three soil profiles were sampled from Brunic Arenosols 0.8, 2.0, and 2.5 km away from the nitrogen plant. The control profile was taken from the Tuchola Forest. The soil was collected in both spring and autumn. The results showed that the total phosphorus content was higher in spring than in autumn (the value of index of changes in time TI < 0) contrary to available phosphorus (TI > 0) and in both seasons in surface soils, the lowest, in profile I. Both total and available phosphorus decreased with depth along the soil profiles. The distribution index (DI) calculated for total phosphorus in surface soils demonstrated a rather moderate accumulation, while DI value for available phosphorus for profile III, a considerable accumulation. The availability factor (AF) for all the soil samples was above the threshold of phosphorus load (2%) in the two seasons in this study (from 2.00 to 10.13% for spring and from 3.92 to 21.19% for autumn), suggesting that the transformation rate from TP to AP was high, and AP supply for plant growth was sufficient. The correlation analysis showed a significant and positive correlation of available phosphorus with soil properties such as total organic carbon (r = 0.577), total nitrogen (r = 0.512), and clay (r = 0.493); however, there was no correlation with the activity of phosphatases.