Metody geoelektryczne w badaniach gruntów skażonych substancjami ropopochodnymi

Particular hazards to the environment are caused by hydrocarbon products introduced as a result of industrial and military activity. It leads to contamination of shallow sub-surface layers, as well as groundwater. The presence of hydrocarbon pollutants in the geological environment causes changes in its many physical properties (e.g. electrical conductivity and resistivity). This results in the anomalies observed. However, hydrocarbons, despite being excellent insulators, can generate both anomalies of low conductivity (i.e high resistivity), high conductivity, or do not cause any changes in values of the parameter measured. Changes in its values in short time intervals can be irregular and fall into the measurement error range. Simultaneously, these values can gradually decrease over the time, which is associated with the loss of contamination weight and gradual remediation of the environment due to natural biological processes. The monograph presents the possibility of applying geoelectrical methods — conductometric in frequency domain and resistivity imaging — to identify petroleum contaminations and to monitor the process of their bioremediation by Yarrowia lipolytica yeast. The applied research methodology allowed also to trace models of contamination evolution. The results of field measurements were interpreted by the inversion method of resistivity imaging, 1D with the conductometric one, and 2D taking the topography into account. In the final interpretation, the laboratory tests (determination of hydrocarbons and metals contents, determination of mineral composition, indication of electrical resistivity as a function of humidity, indication of electrical conductivity as a function of the concentration of citric acid) are included. The study was carried out in two areas of former military fuel bases JAR in the Borne Sulinowo and Szprotawa sites, differing in geological structure and vegetation. Both centers are sandy, the first one shows high resistivity whereas the second one — low resistivity. The complex field and laboratory studies were performed under conditions of high-resistivity environment. First of all, the possibility to use both methods for the identification of perennial petroleum contamination was recognizedwith an assessment of their quality by the correlation with historical data and results of laboratory research. Next, the methods were applied to identify the fresh contamination and to control their dispersion in geological complex, together with laboratory tests and the atmogeochemical method. In the following research, the process of supported bioremediation was monitored at two contamination sites: the historical and fresh controlled ones. The influence of atmospheric conditions on values of the parameters measured was estimated, as well as their changes in time. Using laboratory and atmogeochemical research, bioremediation rate has been assessed, whereas basing on resistivity cross-sections, the percentage loss of the contaminants has been calculated. Under conditions of the low-resistivity environment such as the area of former JAR fuel storage in Szprotawa, the research was carried out to the limited extend, along only one profile running from the contaminated site to the clean one. It enabled to trace evolution of contamination from: clean environment contamination high-resitivity model low-resitivity clean environment Application of geoelectrical methods enabled to investigate qualitatively petroleum contamination sites. It also enabled to estimate their spatial distribution, whereas parameters measured in situ correlated well with the results of laboratory tests. It has been shown that, depend on the occurrence of organic acids or their absence in the geological environment, the contaminated sites can generate anomalies of low conductivity or high conductivity. The presence of organic acids depends on the geological structure and hydrogeological and environmental conditions. In the high-resistivity environment natural bioremediation is hindered and occurs slowly. Thus production of organic acids is limited. In the low-resistivity environment microorganisms populations are various and numerous, thus natural bioremediation occurs rapidly. As a result, a low-resistivity model of con-tamination is generated over the contaminated site just after its contamination. It has been shown that immediately after contamination of the sandy environment, there is a distinctive increase inelectrical resistivity, which is related to high resistivity of hydrocarbons. Moreover, the progression of bioremediation with Yarrowia lipolytica yeast can be effectively and continuously monitored by modern geoelectrical methods

The application of electromagnetic methods for polymetallic prospecting in mining conditions

The paper presents selected results of geophysical surveys carried out in the “Polkowice-Sieroszowice” copper mine in Lower Silesia, Poland. The aim of complex geophysical measurements was the analysis of the usefulness of selected electromagnetic methods for locating ore mineralisation zones in mining conditions. The results were obtained from surveys conducted along profiles designed on the side-wall by the roof, in the middle and the floor of the excavation. Electromagnetic Profiling and Ground Penetrating Radar techniques were applied for outlining the mineralisation zones consisting of Cu, Pb and Fe. The variability of geophysical recordings depending on the degree of mineralisation and distribution of fractures induced by mining activity were analysed. The results of geophysical surveys were correlated to petrophysical parameters and laboratory data concerning the percentages of Cu, Pb and Fe in samples taken from the side-wall at the survey site

Assessment of elements mobility in anthropogenic layer of historical wastes related to glass production in Izera Mountains (SW Poland)

A geophysical survey conducted in the remote forest glade, located in the IzeryMountains (SWPoland), revealed the existence of an anthropogenic layer of historical glasswastes dumped in this area during the activity of a glass factory in the 18th and 19th centuries and domestic wastes dumped during the second part of the 20th century. The aim of the study was assessment of potential ecological risk related to the release of potentially toxic elements to the soil, groundwater and surfacewaters. The assessmentwas done on the base of classical geochemical analysis supported by calculation of environmental indices as well as on mobility of elements (leaching test and BCR sequential extraction). As an innovative aspect in the geostatistical interpretation of the data, somemagnetic parameters (magnetic susceptibility-χ, χ/Fe ratio)were also used. It allowed for a better understanding of the relationship of PTEs with various forms of iron. The BCR sequential extraction found that among the PTEs, only Zn (up to 43%)was in a potentially mobile fraction probably occurring in ionic form, associatedwith iron oxides only by surface adsorption forces. The leaching has shown a slight increase in Zn and Cu content in the surfacewaters; however, itwas not considered to be a real ecological threat because the pHof thewastematerial and soil cover is N6.0 and the scenario of a radical decrease in pH is rather unrealistic. The other PTEs were associated with more stable E2, E3 and E4 fractions. Zinc, similar to Ni, Co and Cu inwaste samples,was highly correlatedwithmagnetic parameters (χ and χ/Fe). Itmeans that a considerable part of these metalswas associatedwith ferrimagnetic iron oxides, although they can also occur in the form of inclusions in aluminosilicates and enclosed in glassy phases

Integrated geophysical and geochemical methods applied for recognition of acid waste drainage (AWD) from Zn-Pb post-flotation tailing pile (Olkusz, southern Poland)

Long-term underground exploitation of Zn-Pb ores has led to drainage of the area and formation of a huge dumping ground in the form of a pile. In its vicinity, processes of acid drainage have developed as a result of contamination of soils and groundwater. Geochemical transformations of mineral contents of waste can significantly affect physical and chemical properties of the soils and the bedrock. At the prospect of termination of the mining activity in the near future, determining the routes of the pollution migration, ability to monitor acid drainage processes and assessment of the risk of heavy metal pollution are really crucial. The paper presents a proposal for solving this problem by means of geophysical methods: Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Time Domain-Induced Polarisation (TDIP), Frequency Domain Electromagnetics (FDEM) and shallow-depth magnetometric surveys combined with geochemical investigations. The obtained results of geophysical surveys have been confirmed by geochemical investigations. The applied ERT and TDIP methods make it possible to identify the spread of the zones of pollution around the tailing pile, but their effectiveness depends on humidity of the ground. Soil magnetometry and shallow-depth induction profiling are a good tool to identify the medium contaminated with minerals redeposited by aeolian processes and allow to determine the range of the dust spread from the pile. It has been shown that the range of impact of the geochemical changes around the tailing pile is high and depends not only on directions and dynamics of water flow from the pile but also on aeolian transport