Analysis of Heavy Metal Content in Soil and Plants in the Dumping Ground of Magnesite Mining Factory Jelšava-Lubeník (Slovakia)

Lenka Štofejová, Juraj Fazekaš and Danica Fazekašová
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Lenka Štofejová: Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Prešov, Konštantínova 16, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia
Juraj Fazekaš: Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Prešov, Konštantínova 16, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia
Danica Fazekašová: Department of Environmental Management, Faculty of Management, University of Prešov, Konštantínova 16, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: A high content of heavy metals in the soil and plants of a magnesite mining area might cause serious damage to the environment and can be a threat to the health of the surrounding population. This paper presents the results of research that focused on analyzing the heavy metal content in soil and plants in the dumping grounds of the magnesite mining factory Jelšava-Lubeník (Slovakia). The analysis focused on the content of heavy metals in soil (X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry), in plants (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry), and pH (1M KCl solution). The results showed that the soil in the study area was slightly acidic to strongly alkaline and the content of Cr, As, Mn, and Mg exceeded by several times the limit values for the Slovak Republic. The results of the hierarchical cluster analysis and the correlation analysis show that the grouped metals come from the same sources of pollution. The content of heavy metals in plants was high and the highest concentration was found in the roots of Elytrigia repens > Agrostis stolonifera > Phragmites australis and flowers of Phragmites australis . The findings confirmed the suitability of the used plants in the process of phytoextraction and phytostabilization. The acquired knowledge can help in planning and realization remediation measures and improve the state of the environment in areas exposed to magnesite mining.

Keywords: magnesite mining; heavy metals; pH; phytoremediation; Elytrigia repens; Agrostis stolonifera; Phragmites australis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (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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