Soil Contamination in the Problem Areas of Agrarian Slovakia

Danica Fazekašová, František Petrovič, Juraj Fazekaš, Lenka Štofejová, Ivan Baláž, Filip Tulis and Tomáš Tóth
Additional contact information
Danica Fazekašová: Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Prešov, Konštantínova 16, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia
František Petrovič: Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
Juraj Fazekaš: Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Prešov, Konštantínova 16, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia
Lenka Štofejová: Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Prešov, Konštantínova 16, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia
Ivan Baláž: Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
Filip Tulis: Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
Tomáš Tóth: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: Landfills, old and abandoned mines, industrial sites, heaps, sludge ponds and other sources of pollution represent environmental threats and are characterized as chemical time bombs. This work is focused on the evaluation of soil contamination by risk elements using various indices (geoaccumulation index—I geo , enrichment factor—EF, contamination factor—C i f and degree of contamination—C d ). These selected agrarian problem areas are located in Slovakia, especially in the air pollution field of landfills consisting of power plant fly ash, tannery and footwear wastes, leachate (lúženec), iron ore slag, waste from metallurgy and sludge ponds in which coal sludge waste is deposited and waste from ore treatment. Nine research sites in the agrarian region of Slovak Republic were monitored. Ten risk elements (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd and Hg) and pH/H 2 O were included in this study and were determined in surface soils (of 0.05 m to 0.15 m) using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Our study showed the highest exceedance of the limit values of risk elements in the order Ni (51.85 times) > Co (25.47 times) > Cd (13.70 times) > Cu (12.78 times) > Cr (8.37 times) > Fe (8.26 times) > Hg (7.94 times) > Zn (5.71 times) > Pb (4.63 times). The content of risk elements increased based on the average values of I geo in the order of Cr < Hg < Zn < Pb < Ni < Cu < Cd. I geo values for cadmium indicated mild-to-extreme contamination at all sites. We found the most significant enrichment in the order of Cd > Cu > Pb > Ni > Zn > Hg > Cr. EF values for cadmium indicated extremely high enrichment; the C i f and C d values indicated a very high degree of soil contamination near the nickel smelter landfill, an industrial metallurgical plant and old but active mines. The studied areas pose a serious danger not only to the soil but also to groundwater and biota due to the prevailing low soil reaction, which increases the mobility of toxic elements. The study provides important results for the development of effective strategies for the control and remediation of endangered areas.

Keywords: risk elements; landfills; sludge ponds; geoaccumulation index; enrichment factor; contamination factor; degree of contamination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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