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Soil factors affecting solubility and mobility of zinc in contaminated soils

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Abstract

In view of modern worldwide research carried out in the context of broadly understood soil chemistry and monitoring of the natural environment, the methods of assessing the risk of Zn contamination in soil and agricultural crops based on the analyses of Zn concentration in the soil solution have gained more recognition. Accordingly, research on the evaluation of the effects of selected soil properties on changes in solid/solution partitioning coefficient (K d), the total concentration and activity of zinc in the soil solution was undertaken in this study. The study was based on the microplot field experiment. Investigated soil factors were as follows: soil texture, pH, organic carbon content and the degree of Zn contamination. The results indicated that zinc activity in the soil solutions was very high and comparable to the total concentration of zinc. The investigated soil properties significantly influenced the K d, the total concentration of zinc, as well as the concentration of Zn2+ in the soil solution. The total concentration and activity of zinc in the soil solution increased with increasing Zn content in the soil and rising soil acidity, while they decreased with increasing the content of organic carbon and clay particles. The values of K d increased significantly with rising soil pH and total Zn content and decreased with increasing soil organic content. Observed K d values were significantly higher in soil with 13 % clay than in soil with 7 % clay.

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Acknowledgments

This study was conducted as a partial fulfillment of doctor degree in Agriculture Chemistry Department, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland, supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland, Project No. 2 P06R 026 29.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture and Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland

    B. Rutkowska, W. Szulc & K. Bomze

  2. Department of Experimental Design and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Agriculture and Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland

    D. Gozdowski

  3. Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology, University of Technology and Life Sciences in Bydgoszcz, Bernardyńska 6, 85-029, Bydgoszcz, Poland

    E. Spychaj-Fabisiak

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  1. B. Rutkowska
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  2. W. Szulc
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  3. K. Bomze
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  4. D. Gozdowski
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  5. E. Spychaj-Fabisiak
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Correspondence to B. Rutkowska.

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Rutkowska, B., Szulc, W., Bomze, K. et al. Soil factors affecting solubility and mobility of zinc in contaminated soils. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 12, 1687–1694 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0546-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0546-7

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