Search results for "soil"
showing 10 items of 3493 documents
Ecological and human health risks appraisal of metal(loid)s in agricultural soils: a review
2019
Agriculture is one of the major human activities that changed the landforms, water resources and the biogeochemical cycles. Pollution of agricultural soilsby metal(loid)s is a serious and global hazard but worldwide studies related to metal(loid)s pollution in agricultural soils are very limited. To fulfil this gap, metal(loid)s content in agricultural soils from 2001 to 2019 all over the world was reviewed. Multivariate statistical techniques, contamination indices and human health risk assessment were determined for the metal(loid)s. Among the analysed metal(loid)s, the average contents of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Cd, As and Ni exceeded the Canadian, and China soil guidelines limits. The results o…
Soil mutagens are airborne mutagens: variation of mutagenic activities induced in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100 by organic extracts of agri…
2000
As our hypothesis was that soil mutagens are airborne mutagens, possibly modified by soil microorganisms, we checked solvent extracts from agricultural and forest soils collected during late summer in the environment of Mainz, a region highly charged by anthropogenic air pollution, or near Bayreuth, a rural low charged region of Germany, or in a remote region of western Corsica without anthropogenic air pollution for the presence of mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium. Levels of mutagenic activities were quantified by calculation of revertants/g from the initial slope of dose-response curves applying tester strains S. typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100 in the absence and presence of an activat…
Potentially toxic elements in fen peatland soils located near lignite-fired power plants in Central Poland
2021
Abstract The Grojec Valley (GV) peatland area in Central Poland is located close to lignite-fired power plants, which could be sources of potentially toxic elements (PTE). The aims of this study are: (1) to determine the effect of the lignite-fired power plants on soil pollution, (2) to evaluate pollution indices and magnetic susceptibility methods for determining the origin and distribution of PTE in soils, and (3) to demonstrate the importance of appropriate geochemical background (GB) selection for pollution studies in peatland soils. In order to comprehensively assess the soil pollution, four pollution indices (calculated using various types of GBs), and the mass-specific magnetic susce…
Characteristics of current roadside pollution using test-monitoring plots
2014
Abstract The aim of the study was the qualitative recognition of the existing roadside pollutants deposited in topsoils located close to roads with high traffic volume. So far, the studies have helped to determine the content of pollutants that accumulated over a long period of time. Traditionally, it has been difficult to distinguish between roadside pollution and pollution from other industrial sources. In order to avoid such problems and to accurately recognize present threats originating from road traffic, test-monitoring plots were installed in Poland (Gliwice and Opole), Germany (Tubingen, Ulm and Boblingen), Finland (Helsinki), Tajikistan (Dushanbe) and China (Lanzhou). To install th…
The combined effect of phytostabilization and different amendments on remediation of soils from post-military areas
2019
Army bases and battle fields are areas of high pollution due to the chemicals released there. Soils in these areas suffer from these uses of the land, and ecosystem services are affected. Although, in the 20th century, the production of bombs and the locations of battle fields and army bases were widespread, there is little research on the impact of war on nature. Moreover, there is a need to rehabilitate the disturbed soils. The contents and ecological risks of Cu, Ni, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cr in the topsoil from a post-military area (north-eastern Poland) were investigated. In addition, a vegetation experiment was performed with the technique of aided phytostabilization on soils from the study …
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry study of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in grass and milk from urban and rural farms
2000
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels were studied in grass and milk sampled at two farms, one located in a non-contaminated, rural area, and another located in a urban area close to PAH sources such as highways, busy roads, fuel-powered trains and a steel plant. PAH concentration were measured by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using internal deuterated standards. In grasses, unexpectedly, although the sum of PAH concentrations was only slightly higher at the urban farm (83.1 ± 16.1 ng g−1) than the rural farm (51.8 ± 10.6 ng g−1), this difference was not observed for all PAH members. This absence of a striking difference of PAH levels between urban and rura…
Application of time domain induced polarization to the mapping of lithotypes in a landfill site
2012
A direct current (DC) resistivity and time domain induced polarization (TDIP) survey was undertaken at a decommissioned landfill site situated in Hørløkke, Denmark, for the purpose of mapping the waste deposits and to discriminate important geological units that control the hydrology of the surrounding area. It is known that both waste deposits and clay have clear signatures in TDIP data, making it possible to enhance the resolution of geological structures compared to DC surveys alone. <br><br> Four DC/TDIP profiles were carried out crossing the landfill, and another seven profiles in the surroundings provide a sufficiently dense coverage of the entire area. The whole dataset w…
Potential for microbial diuron mineralisation in a small wine-growing watershed: from treated plots to lotic receiver hydrosystem
2009
BACKGROUND: Since biological degradation processes are known to be a major driver of the natural attenuation of pesticide residues in the environment, microbial communities adapted to pesticide biodegradation are likely to play a key environmental role in reducing pesticide exposure in contaminated ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess the diuron-mineralising potential of microbial communities at a small-scale watershed level, including a diuron-treated vineyard (pollution source), its associated grass buffer strip (as a river protection area against pesticide runoff) and the lotic receiver hydrosystem (sediments and epilithon), by using radiorespirometry. RESULTS: Comparison of r…
The contamination legacy of a decommissioned iron smelter in the Italian Alps
2018
The economically important activity of metal processing can tend to contribute to the degradation of the environment. Smelting is an important source of contaminants, dispersing large quantities of potentially toxic elements (PTE) and coproducts into the environment. Soils in the vicinity of smelters frequently contain high concentrations of PTE. In terms of the quantities processed, the major PTE are iron (Fe), aluminium (Al), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn); of these Cu, Pb and Zn are, potentially, highly hazardous elements. The general problem addressed by this study is to determine if the PTE concentration in the soils of an area downwind from a decommissioned iron…
13C/12C composition, a novel parameter to study the downward migration of paper sludge in soils
2002
δ13C values of crop and forest soils were measured 8 years after disposal of paper sewage sludge. The carbon transfer from paper sludge downward to the first humic layer is evidenced by a 13C-enrichnient of up to + 5.6‰ due to the input of 13C-enriched sludge carbonates. 13C/12C composition is thus a novel, sensitive parameter to follow the downward transfer of paper sludge carbon.