THE INFLUENCE OF AN INDUSTRIAL SLAG ON THE MACROELEMENTS CONTENT IN THE SOIL

To maintain the quality of the soil it is required its use according the characteristics it has. This implies the inclusion on the appropriate use of any kind of waste, nutrients and pesticides management; improve physical and chemical characteristics, to avoid pollution. The ability of steel slag to improve the characteristics of acidic soils may be explained by the high content of calcium and magnesium. The paper describes the changes that occurred with regard to existing macroelements in soil as a result of using different doses of steel slag (0%; 0.1%; 0.2%; 0.3%; 0.4%; 0.5%) for the purpose of amending the soil.Macroelements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as organic carbon content are presented. Changes in the total nitrogen content and soluble potassium content were strongly influenced as a result of treatment

Bioremediation Potential of Native Hydrocarbons Degrading Bacteria in Crude Oil Polluted Soil

Bioremediation of crude oil contaminated soil is an effective process to clean petroleum pollutants from the environment. Crude oil bioremediation of soils is limited by the bacteria activity in degrading the spills hydrocarbons. Native crude oil degrading bacteria were isolated from different crude oil polluted soils. The isolated bacteria belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium, Arthrobacter and Bacillus. A natural biodegradable product and bacterial inoculum were used for total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal from an artificial polluted soil. For soil polluted with 5% crude oil, the bacterial top, including those placed in the soil by inoculation was 30 days after impact, respectively 7 days after inoculum application, while in soil polluted with 10% crude oil,  multiplication top of bacteria was observed in the determination made at 45 days after impact and 21 days after inoculum application, showing once again how necessary is for microorganisms habituation and adaptation to environment being a function of pollutant concentration. The microorganisms inoculated showed a slight adaptability in soil polluted with 5% crude oil, but complete inhibition in the first 30 days of experiment at 10% crude oil

ASSESSMENT OF POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS LOAD LEVEL IN SOILS COLLECTED FROM RESIDENTIAL AREAS

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are listed as a class of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention. PCBs represent a threat to human health and environment because of their toxicity, persistence, and tendency to bio-accumulate at the top of the food chain. Additionally, some PCBs are suspected carcinogens. Because of their chemical stability and their excellent electrical insulation and thermal conductive properties, PCBs have been used in widespread industrial, commercial and domestic applications. The aim of this study is to establish the load level of these compounds in soils from residential areas. The soil samples were collected from gardens, parks and households located in Bucharest. The interest compounds (PCB with IUPAC number 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180) were extracted from soil with organic solvents (hexane: acetone = 1:1) and analysed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector. The analytical results show that the most abundant compounds were those with a high degree of chlorination. The total content of PCBs ranged between 0.0004 mg/kg and 0.028 mg/kg, so values of concentration that are not exceed the alert threshold (0.25 mg/kg)

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTS OF CRUDE OIL POLLUTION ON SOIL PROPERTIES

Pollution caused by crude oil is the most prevalent problem in the environment. The release of crude oil into theenvironment by oil spills is receiving worldwide attention. The effect of crude oil pollution on soil properties wasinvestigated by achieving a case study in Perisoru, Braila County. It has been achieved a profile until 120 cm and soilsamples were collected according to the methodology and analyzed for some physical and chemical properties. In caseof physical analysis, the values obtained for granulometric fractions were not influenced by the presence of crude oil.Results obtained showed variation in chemical properties of soil. Organic carbon increased from 2.23% for anunpolluted soil to 5.51% in polluted soil. C/N ratios increased from 13.01 for an unpolluted soil to 20.54 in pollutedsoil. Mobile phosphorous and potassium registered in polluted soil similar values with the one characteristic forunpolluted soil. Crude oil at high pollution levels inhibited the growth of crops

STEEL SLAG, A SUBSTITUTE OF LIMING MATERIALS IN AGRICULTURE

Regular application of amendments and fertilizers in required doses causes significant and lasting chemical changes in the soil, in relation with the degree of success of crop production. Steel slag is a highly alkaline material considered a by-product of the steelmaking process. This material is used in many different applications including the amendment for acid soils. Amendment is a practice commonly used for rapid elimination of problems of soil acidification. As a product applied in agriculture, the steel slag has been studied in many parts of the world somewhat with satisfactory results. In some European countries, researches have shown an improvement in acid soil properties. The ability of the steel slag to improve the acidity of the soil can be explained by the high content of CaO and MgO and Al2O3 low. When a liming material such as limestone or steel slag is evaluated, it is compare to calcium carbonate, and its neutralizing value is called the Calcium Carbonate Equivalent (CCE) value. Application of amendments, including by-products such as steel slag can restore soil quality by balancing the pH value, organic matter intake, increasing water retention capacity, reducing compaction, etc. For reasons of environmental protection, steel slag properties should always be tested given the wide variety in terms of their physical and chemical indicators

A STUDY REGARDING CORRELATION BETWEEN CONTENTS IN SOIL AND CONTENTS IN PARSLEY ROOTS OF CADMIUM, LEAD, ZINC AND COPPER IN SAMPLES COLLECTED FROM PRIVATE GARDENS IN COPSA MICA

Food security is a high-priority issue for sustainable global development both quantitatively and qualitatively. The increasing contamination of heavy metals in vegetables is attributed to multiple pathways, such as industrial emissions, sewage sludge discharge, agrochemicals and fertilizers abuse, and it has become a serious issue worldwide, especially in developing countries. CopşaMicăhad the reputation of being the most polluted city in Europe until the Chernobyl nuclear accident. This was due to emissions from two factories Carbosin, which produced carbon black and Sometra, the other source of pollution, less visible, but much more serious from the point of view of the impact on the human health.For this study, were collected soil and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) samples from 36 households located in CopşaMică area. The obtained data were used to estimate the accumulation of cadmium, lead, zinc and copper in parsley roots. by correlation factor between contents in soil and contents in parsley roots. For cadmium and lead, the value of linear correlation coefficient is r = 0.571 for cadmium and r = 0.381 for lead and it is indicating a good correlation between the cadmium and lead content in parsley roots and the cadmium and lead content in soil. For zinc and copper, the value of the linear correlation coefficient is r = 0.139 for zinc and r = 0.035 for copper is not significantly different from zero, indicating that the estimation of zinc and copper accumulation in parsley roots cannot be described by simple power-type regressions

HEAVY METALS ACCUMULATION IN SOIL AND CELERY ROOT (APIUM GRAVEOLENS L.) HARVESTED FROM THE POLLUTED AREAS IN SIBIU COUNTY, CENTRAL ROMANIA

Heavy metals are harmful environmental contaminants that are mostly the result of human activities. Vegetable roots may easily absorb heavy metals, which can then accumulate up to high levels in the edible sections. The celery root is a vegetable that is frequently cultivated in individual gardens and its production in polluted soil might provide a risk to the consumer's health, not necessarily due to the amount ingested but rather due to the cumulative effect of long-term usage. The present study is aimed to estimate the bioaccumulation of heavy metals (cadmium, lead, copper, and zinc) from the soil in the celery root, harvested from 26 households located in the polluted areas (Axente Sever, Agârbiciu, Bazna, CopșaMică, Micăsasa, Șoala, and Târnava). Total soil (0-20 cm)  and celery root heavy metals contents varied as follows: for Cd (soil = 0.10 mg/kg – 14.80 mg/kg; celery root = 0.058 mg/kg – 1.254 mg/kg); for Pb (soil = 28 mg/kg – 326 mg/kg; celery root = 0.022 mg/kg – 0.620 mg/kg); for Cu (soil = 25 mg/kg – 163  mg/kg; celery root = 0.60 mg/kg – 2.51 mg/kg); for Zn (soil = 117 mg/kg – 1076 mg/kg; celery root = 3.1 mg/kg – 11.7 mg/kg). The highest values of correlation coefficients were obtained for the regression curves established for the estimation of Cd, Pb, and Zn accumulation in celery root (r = 0.788 for Cd, r = 0.796 for Pb, and r = 0.656 for Zn). In the case of copper, the linear correlation coefficient is relatively low (r = 0.092)

ACCUMULATION OF HEAVY METALS IN RED BEETS (BETA VULGARIS L.) IN HOUSEHOLDS FROM THE COPȘA MICĂ AREA

This study shows the accumulation of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu) from the soil in the roots of beetroot (Beta Vulgaris L.) from individual gardens in the polluted area CopșaMică.The estimation of heavy metal accumulation in beetroot grown in the area affected by historical pollution was carried out based on a data set collected from 18 individual households. The content of heavy metals in the soil ranged for Cd between 0.52 mg/kg-1 and 19.52 mg/kg-1, Pb had values from 19 mg/kg-1 to 530 mg/kg-1, Zn ranged between 28 mg/kg-1 and 112 mg/kg-1 and Cu had values from 150 mg/kg-1 to 1136 mg/kg-1. The concentration of cadmium (Cd) in the root of red beet varied between 0.015 mg/kg-1 and 0.568 mg/kg-1. The content of lead (Pb) and copper (Cu) registered values between 0.019 mg/kg-1 and 0.198 mg/kg-1, respectively from 0.49 mg/kg-1and 2.01 mg/kg-1.Zinc content values was between 3.5 mg/kg-1 and 10.4 mg/kg-1. It is noted that for cadmium (r=0,839***), lead (r=0,667**) and zinc (r=0,624**) the values of the linear correlation coefficient differ significantly from zero indicating a close dependence between the considered variables. In the case of copper (r=0,213ns), the value of the linear correlation coefficient does not significantly differ from zero, which requires the use of another stochastic model to describe the accumulation of this metal in beetroot

A REVIEW OF BIOLOGICAL METHODS TO REMEDIATE CRUDE OIL POLLUTED SOIL

Environmental pollution by crude oil can occur naturally through seepage or from anthropogenic sources via spillage, accidents or improper disposal of crude oil and related products. The main characteristic of pollution from refinery and petrochemical plants consists in that the pollution source is active, most often for a short period of time, but has an important intensity, polluting agent consisting generally of petroleum fractions. Also, in most cases of accidental spills of petroleum products, surface soil affected is much smaller than the first surface polluted aquifer pollution front met. Recent research has shown that biological methods to remediate crude oil polluted soil are a superior effective and much cheaper method compared with physicochemical methods. Biological methods are based on the activity of microorganisms to use crude oil as a source of carbon and energy. These methods are considered to be the most effective because it does not have irreversible effects on soil characteristics. Microorganisms such as bacteria, cyanobacteria, yeasts and fungi break down these dangerous chemicals into less toxic or non-toxic compounds

Accumulation of some heavy metals in carrot roots sampled from households in Copsa Mica

Heavy metals can affect the vegetables and can accumulate in vegetables and thereby indirectly can affect human health. Due to various factors including the disposal of municipal and industrial wastes, application of fertilizers, atmospheric deposition and discharge of wastewater on land, has resulted in increase in the concentration of heavy metals in the soil. Soil normally contains a low concentration of heavy metals such as copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), which are the essential micronutrients for the optimum growth of the plants. Heavy metals like cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are usually not found in agricultural soil and are toxic to plants. The paper presents a case study achieved in Copsa Mica. As a result of a historical pollution (over 60 years) and a present pollution, the Copsa Mica area is an affected area by atmospheric pollution, characterized by inadequate ambient air quality, surface water pollution, soil pollution, qualitative degradation of vegetable products and possible risk to the health of animals and people in the area. There were sampled carrots roots from 51 households. Obtained data were used to estimate the bioaccumulation of some heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) in carrot roots. The highest correlations between soil and plant total metal content were obtained for cadmium and lead. It is noted the increased tendency of accumulation of cadmium (r=0.761) in carrot roots compared to lead (r=0.660). In the case of copper and zinc, the correlation established between the two variables is not very strong, thus for zinc r=0.439, while for copper the value was obtained r=0.151