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Ecological assessment of soil contamination by heavy metals affected in the past by the lead–zinc mining and processing complex in Kentau, Kazakhstan

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Abstract

Polymetallic ore processing plants are serious sources of heavy metal pollution. The present study examined the degree of pollution of surface soils with the metals zinc, cadmium, lead, and copper in the single-industry town of Kentau, Kazakhstan, where an enterprise for the processing of lead–zinc ore has been operating for a long time. This enterprise ceased operations in 1994, and this study may be of interest in terms of assessing the current ecological state of urban soils after a 27-year period of possible soil self-cleaning processes. The study showed that the surface soils of Kentau retain fairly high concentrations of metals. The maximum detected concentrations of zinc, cadmium, lead, and copper were 592 mg/kg, 1.651 mg/kg, 462 mg/kg, and 82.5 mg/kg, respectively. According to the classification of the geoaccumulation index, the soils of the town belong to pollution classes II, III, and IV with moderate and strong pollution. The calculated potential ecological risk factor indicates that cadmium poses a considerable potential ecological risk, while lead showed a moderate ecological risk. In general, according to the obtained values of potential ecological risk factors, metals can be arranged in the following order: Cd > Pb > Zn > Cu. In this study, a five-step sequential extraction procedure by the method of A. Tessier was used, and the mobility factors of metals were calculated. Based on the data obtained, it was found that cadmium and lead have the highest mobility and, consequently, availability for biota in modern conditions, which may pose a potential risk to public health in the town.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to all colleagues who helped us with sampling, sample preparation, and measurements as well as their general advice.

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  1. Research Institute of Ecology, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkistan, Republic of Kazakhstan

    Marat M. Junusbekov, Amankul D. Akbasova, Ainur D. Seidakbarova, Gulnar Zh. Koishiyeva & Gaukhar A. Sainova

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  1. Marat M. Junusbekov
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  2. Amankul D. Akbasova
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Contributions

Marat M. Junusbekov and Amankul D. Akbasova: conceptualization of the study, writing the draft and final manuscript, and data interpretation. Ainur D. Seidakbarova and Gulnar Zh. Koishiyeva: material preparation, data collection and analysis, data interpretation. Gaukhar A. Sainova: figure preparation, data preparation and processing, review, and editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. As corresponding author, I confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved for submission by all named authors.

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Correspondence to Marat M. Junusbekov.

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Junusbekov, M.M., Akbasova, A.D., Seidakbarova, A.D. et al. Ecological assessment of soil contamination by heavy metals affected in the past by the lead–zinc mining and processing complex in Kentau, Kazakhstan. Environ Monit Assess 195, 586 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11189-7

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