Environmental impact of industrial and agricultural activities to the trace element content in soil of Srem (Serbia).

This study reports the contents and sources of Cu, Hg, Cr, Ni, Co, Zn, Pb, Cd, As, and B pollution in soil samples from Srem in the province of Vojvodina (Republic of Serbia). They are collected in the vicinity of local industrial facilities. The main objective of this study is evaluating the impact of the industrial facilities on the eventual contamination of soils used mostly for agricultural manufacturing. This paper describes the implementation of the combination of methods to estimate the ecological status and determine potential ecological risk. This study applies sequential extraction, pollution indices, comparison with the guidelines, and statistical analysis. Other soil parameters, such as organic matter content, pH, and clay content were measured to evaluate their influence on the trace element content. The investigated soil samples exhibited the raised contents of Ni, Hg, and Cu. Elevated contents of toxic elements observed in localities accommodated within an impact zone affected by industrial complexes, indicating a correlation between the contamination of surrounding soil and potential impact on plants. The most mobile elements are Hg, Cd, and B, while Cr is the least mobile and potential least bioavailable. The results indicate Cr and Ni content increase marking the presence of bedrock, notably in the area of underlying ultramafic rocks and the surface zones influenced by diluvial-proluvial and alluvial processes. The second source of Cr and Ni in the soils of Srem is industrial activities such as leather, cement industry, as well as the metal processing factory.

Assessment of contamination, environmental risk, and origin of heavy metals in soils surrounding industrial facilities in Vojvodina, Serbia.

Content of potentially toxic elements was examined in soils from Srem (Vojvodina), to evaluate industrial facilities as pollution sources. Based on the distribution of the elements, the results of sequential extraction, enrichment factor (EF), ecological risk factor (Er), ecological risk index (RI), and statistical analysis, the current ecological status of the soils was determined. Elements in soils around the industrial facilities can be grouped into the five significant components derived by the principal component analysis (PCA), which explains 78.435% of the total variance. Al, Fe and Mg, and K and Mn are associated with two lithogenic components, respectively. Anthropogenic origin is identified for Hg and Cd. Mixed sources, geogenic and anthropogenic, are identified within two PCA components; one wich includes As, Pb, B, Zn, and the other: K and Cr, Ni and Cu. Cluster analysis (CA) corroborated the results obtained by PCA. The preliminary results revealed that the soils studied in a vicinity of industrial facilities in Srem have been exposed to different degrees of pollution. Among the characterized studied elements, Pb, Cd, Hg, Cu, Ni, and Cr are the main contaminants. Based on calculated EF, the studied soils show minor to severe enrichment with heavy metals. Ecological risk assessment results indicate that Cd and Hg carry the highest ecological risk level, and Zn and Cr the lowest.

Mineralogy and characterization of deposited particles of the aero sediments collected in the vicinity of power plants and the open pit coal mine: Kolubara (Serbia).

In this paper, particular attention was paid to the presence of aerosol solid particles, which occurred mainly as a result of exploitation and coal combustion in the thermal power plants of the Kolubara basin. Not all of the particles created by this type of anthropogenic pollution have an equal impact on human health, but it largely depends on their size and shape. The mineralogical composition and particle size distribution in the samples of aero sediments were defined. The samples were collected close to the power plant and open pit coal mine, in the winter and summer period during the year 2007. The sampling was performed by using precipitators placed in eight locations within the territory of the Lazarevac municipality. In order to characterize the sedimentary particles, several methods were applied: microscopy, SEM-EDX and X-ray powder diffraction. The concentration of aero sediments was also determined during the test period. Variety in the mineralogical composition and particle size depends on the position of the measuring sites, geology of the locations, the annual period of collecting as well as possible interactions. By applying the mentioned methods, the presence of inhalational and respiratory particles variously distributed in the winter and in the summer period was established. The most common minerals are quartz and feldspar. The presence of gypsum, clay minerals, calcite and dolomite as secondary minerals was determined, as well as the participation of organic and inorganic amorphic matter. The presence of quartz as a toxic mineral has a particular impact on human health.