Among various heavy metal sources the metallurgic industry is the most threatening because emitted metals presented are the chemical forms in which metals are found in soil are more bioavailable and thus very easily are introduced into the environment and spread in both soils and plants. In this study such a situation is presented and the potential negative effect of emitted metals on soil and vegetables is estimated. Therefore, the following indicators were used: bioconcentration factors calculated for the total amount of metals (BCF) as well as daily intake of metal (DIM) and health risk index (HRI). Analyzed soils and vegetables originated from allotment gardens located at different distances from local industrial plants. The greatest amounts of metals in investigated materials (soils and plants) were found for the industrial zone and the lowest for samples representing the suburban zone. Among the analyzed metals Zn showed the highest (223.94–2645.13 mg·kg⁻¹ for soils and 9.14–49.28 mg·kg⁻¹ for plants), and Cd the lowest levels (1.77–15.2 mg·kg⁻¹ for soils and 0.05–0.46 mg·kg⁻¹ for plants). Regardless of the metal, the lowest BCF values were calculated for plants from the industrial zone and the highest from the urban site. Generally, BCF values calculated for vegetables were low and comparable for carrots, tomatoes, and cabbage. BCF values obtained for beetroots were higher in comparison to other vegetables. Regardless of plants, DIM values for Cd and Pb were low and comparable. DIM values for Cu and Zn were higher, but simultaneously strongly differentiated depending on the analyzed vegetables. A similar tendency was found in the case of HRI. The highest values were recorded for Cu and Zn in tomatoes. Regardless of the individual metals, the calculated values for DIM and HRI indices increased in the following sequence: beetroot < cabbage < carrot < tomato. The Zn and Cu contents in the studied types of vegetables do not exceed the maximum permissible levels recommended by WHO/FAO. In contrast, Pb concentrations were higher than the imposed standards in all the analyzed vegetable samples. On the basis of obtained DIM and HRI indices, consumption of vegetables cultivated in industrial areas should be restricted due to health risks related to heavy metals contained in plants.

Growing human impact on the environment, including soil, is being reflected in the evolution of soil classification systems, which include adjustments to enable the proper and complex classification of anthropogenic soils. An example of human-changed landscapes is molinotopes, where soils and other landscape elements were altered due to the construction and operation of water mills. Four soil profiles were selected in the immediate surroundings of a former mill pond in Turznice village (the Grudziądz Basin, N Poland), where specific anthropogenic soils were formed. The aims of the study were: 1) to determine the systematic position of the studied soils in relation to their human-impacted genesis, and 2) to assess the status of pollution by toxic metals including Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. Profiles 1, 2 and 3 were formed under undisputedly strong human influence, as revealed by their morphological features (i.e. artefacts, clear and abrupt horizon boundaries), basic properties (irregular changes of TOC not connected with natural soil-forming processes), selected heavy-metal contents and values of applied pollution index (enrichment with heavy metals in samples collected from horizons developed due to human activity). These profiles were classified as aggerosols (newly introduced soil type within the order of technogenic soils) according to PSC (2019) or Phaeozems (profiles 1 and 2) and Arenosol (profile 3). While the systematic position of these pedons according to PSC (2019) is a direct result of their anthropogenic genesis, only the Relocatic qualifier indicates such an influence according to WRB (IUSS, 2015). Profile 4, representing quasi-natural pedon in the vicinity of the former mill pond, was classified as arenosol) according to PSC (2019) and as Phaeozem according to WRB (IUSS, 2015). In regards to both national and international regulations, the collected soil samples are considered to be unpolluted by the studied heavy metals. The obtained results expand our knowledge of the soil cover evolution induced with human activities around former mill ponds and could be useful in the complex assessment of landscape classification.

The increasing mass of organic waste as well as the assumptions of a circular economy enforce the rational management of this type of waste. One method of recycling is composting, which makes it possible to use waste efficiently as an organic fertilizer. This paper presents the results of a comparative study of six different composts in terms of their agricultural quality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioavailable amounts of metals using single extractions with DTPA solution and to characterize various humic compounds. Particular attention was paid to the amounts of labile carbon (LC), hot water-extractable carbon (HWC), and the quantity and quality of humus substances (HS). Regardless of compost types, they were characterized by a small share of easily decomposable compounds such as fulvic acids (FAs), LC, and HWC, which may indicate the low susceptibility of compost humic substances to microbiological degradation in soil. In general, the bioavailable metal amounts found in the analyzed composts were low; therefore, the tested composts applied to the soil can be considered safe for the environment.

Celem przeprowadzonych badań laboratoryjnych było oznaczenie aktywności enzymatycznej - dehydrogenaz, ureazy, fosfatazy zasadowej i proteaz w glebach tworzących się z gruntów pogórniczych. Ponadto określono liczebności heterotroficznych bakterii, grzybów pleśniowych, promieniowców, a także bakterii z rodzaju Azotobacter sp.. Badania prowadzono w latach 2015−2017 na powierzchniach doświadczalnych, należących do Katedry Gleboznawstwa i Rekultywacji Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego w Poznaniu, na zwałowisku Pątnów. Próbki do analiz pobrano z dwóch warstw gleby 0−30 cm i 30−60 cm. Pierwszym badanym czynnikiem były dwa uproszczone płodozmiany: rzepakowo−zbożowy (naprzemienna uprawa pszenicy oraz rzepaku ozimego) oraz paszowo−zbożowy (uprawa przez cztery lata lucerny z trawami, a przez kolejne dwa lata pszenicy ozimej). Drugim czynnikiem w ramach podbloków były 3 wzrastające poziomy nawożenia mineralnego (azotu, fosforu i potasu) odpowiednio: 0 NPK, 1NPK oraz 2NPK. Otrzymane wyniki badań poddano analizie wariancji jednoczynnikowej, a grupy jednorodne wyznaczono testem Tukeya na poziomie istotności α = 0,05. Obliczenia statystyczne wykonano w programie Statistica 13.1. Powstałe gleby należą do gleb Calcaric Regosols (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2015). Przeprowadzone analizy wykazały, iż aktywność mikrobiologiczna badanych gleb charakteryzowała się dużą zmiennością zarówno w sezonie wegetacyjnym, jak i w kolejnych latach prowadzonych badań. Spośród zastosowanego systemu zmianowania, korzystniejszy wpływ na aktywność mikrobiologiczną i biochemiczną wywierał płodozmian paszowo−zbożowy. Zatem przy rekultywacji gleb kształtujących się na pokopalnianych zwałowiskach wewnętrznych wskazane jest stosowanie tego płodozmianu.

Post-mining land in areas where mineral extraction has occurred may constitute a significant portion of the land used for various purposes. Such land serves as soil-forming parent material for developing anthropogenic soils, which sometimes exhibit unfavorable physicochemical properties. The toxicity of the waste generated during lignite mining is due to a number of factors, whose determination permits the identification of its origin for the subsequent design of technologies for the waste reclamation. The purpose of the study, in consistence with sustainable development, is to identify the causes of the toxicity of brown coal waste from the Lengerskoye deposit, in southern Kazakhstan. These studies have provided the results essential for planning remedial actions necessary to improve the well-being of the local population, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. The studies were performed using single extraction; forms of Al, Fe, and Mn; soil texture; elemental analysis; phytocoenosis analysis; and diffractometric, IR spectroscopic, SEM, route reconnaissance, and comparative statistical methods. A decrease in the biodiversity of plant species was noted, with a gradual increase with distance from the waste storage sites. The most resistant plant species in the vicinity of the waste dump were Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers and Alhagi pseudalhagi (M. Bieb.) Desv. ex B. Keller & Shap., while Dodartia orientalis (L.) was the only plant species found at the edge of the waste dump. The high toxicity of lignite waste is determined by such factors as low pH values, about 3.0; high content of active forms of aluminum, iron, and manganese (344.0, 0.90, and 20 mg/kg); high electrical conductivity—2835 µS/cm; waste composition poor in nutrients; and climate aridity. It has been observed that a content of exchangeable aluminum above 100 mg/kg resulted in an almost complete lack of vegetation.