Lubomir Jurkovic - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Lubomir Jurkovic

Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology, Jan 16, 2018

In this study, playground soils of kindergartens and green recreational zones in Bratislava were ... more In this study, playground soils of kindergartens and green recreational zones in Bratislava were investigated for the occurrence and gastric bioaccessibility of arsenic (As) in the < 150 μm soil size fraction. Eighty topsoil (0-10 cm) samples were collected from playgrounds in kindergartens and green recreational zones throughout the urban area. Bioaccessibility measurements of As were performed using the Simple Bioaccessibility Extraction Test that mimics the human gastric environment, and resulting extracts were analyzed by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry to assess bioaccessible As concentrations in the collected playground soils. Single selective chemical extractions using hydroxylamine hydrochloride-hydrochloric acid and dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate solutions also were used to determine the amount of As associated with amorphous and amorphous/crystalline Fe oxy-hydroxides in soils, respectively. The results showed that the spatial distribution of total As ...

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

A total of eighty surface soil samples were collected from public kindergartens and urban parks i... more A total of eighty surface soil samples were collected from public kindergartens and urban parks in the city of Bratislava, and the <150µm soil fraction was evaluated for total concentrations of five metals, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn, their oral bioaccessibilities, non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks to children, and lead isotopic composition. The mean metal concentrations in urban soils (0.29, 36.1, 0.13, 30.9 and 113mg/kg for Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn, respectively) were about two times higher compared with background soil concentrations. The order of bioaccessible metal fractions determined by Simple Bioaccessibility Extraction Test was: Pb (59.9%) > Cu (43.8%) > Cd (40.8%) > Zn (33.6%) > Hg (12.8%). Variations in the bioaccessible metal fractions were mainly related to the total metal concentrations in urban soils. A relatively wide range of lead isotopic ratios in urban soils (1.1598-1.2088 for Pb/Pb isotopic ratio) indicated a combination of anthropogenic and geogenic sources of metals in the soils. Lower values of Pb/Pb isotopic ratio in the city centre and similar spatial distribution of total metal concentrations, together with their increasing total concentrations in soils towards the city centre, showed that traffic and coal combustion in former times were likely the major sources of soil contamination. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks to children due to exposure to metals in kindergarten and urban park soils were low, with hazard index and cancer risk values below the threshold values at all studied sites.

ABSTRACT This work is focused on the study of leaching of potentially toxic elements by selected ... more ABSTRACT This work is focused on the study of leaching of potentially toxic elements by selected species of microscopic filamentous fungus A. niger, that was isolated from anthropogenic sediments with high contents of selected elements, especially arsenic. Isolated species was put on the samples from Zemianske Kostoľany. The total contents of elements were: 93 - 634 ppm As, 9 - 16.7 ppm Pb, 16.5 - 38.2 ppm Cu, 45 - 182 ppm Zn. The main objective of the experiment was comparative evaluation of bioleaching of selected elements by different weights of substrate (1 g, 10 g, 100 g). By fungal bioleaching following average concentrations of As were released: 550 μg/l, 270.18 μg/l, 90.60 μg/l from 1 g, 10 g and 100 g of substrate, respectively. The results showed, that the optimal weight of soil substrates for maximum efficiency leaching of arsenic and other elements is 1 g. The results indicated that solid weight 1 g was found to be the best to fungal activity and metal solubilization of the three solid weights tested (1 g, 10 g and 100 g) under the chosen experimental conditions.

Http Www Sgem Org Sgemlib, 2014

ABSTRACT During the experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water collected at the... more ABSTRACT During the experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water collected at the Sb deposit Poproč (Slovakia) three remediation techniques were used: absorption on activated carbon; ion exchange resin technique (use of single strongly acidic cationexchanger - catex Amberlite IR 120 and use of combination of strongly acidic catex and weakly basic anion-exchanger - annex Purolite A-100) and absorption on commercial sorbent GEH (granulated Fe(OH)3 with content of βFeOOH and H2O). Characteristic for the tested mine water was the pH value 7.3 and content 120 μg.l-1 of Sb that is 24 times higher concentration than the limit of Sb content in drinking water (5 μg.l-1) ordered by Decree no. 252/2004 Coll. (CZ) and the SR Government Regulation No. 354/2006 Coll. (SK). The results of the column experiments confirmed low ability (20 %) of activated carbon in the process of Sb elimination. Furthermore, use of single strongly acidic catex reflected relatively low (41 %) efficiency in elimination of Sb from tested mine water. On the other hand, combination of strongly acidic catex and weakly basic annex has confirmed the assumed high efficiency of Sb elimination (98 %). Use of sorbent GEH also resulted in high ability of Sb elimination from mine water (98 %). The pH values of tested water were not significantly changed after using all of the remediation techniques. Ion exchange resins (combination of catex and annex) and absorption on sorbent GEH have proved very good ability in the case of elimination of Sb from mine water.

Acta Geologica Slovaca, Dec 15, 2014

In the process of experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water that was sampled a... more In the process of experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water that was sampled at the abandoned Sb deposit at the Eastern Slovakia, three remediation techniques in the form of column experiments were used: removal of Sb by activated carbon; GEH sorbent (granulated Fe(OH) 3 with content of β FeOOH and H 2 O) and the ion exchange resin process with the use of single strongly acidic catex Amberlite IR-120 (Na + cycle) and a combination of catex and weakly basic annex Purolite A-100 (OHcycle). Poproč village, which is located near the abandoned Sb deposit, is currently suffering from a lack of a permanent source of drinking water. However, if the decontaminated mine water was adequately treated it could serve as an alternative source of drinking water at the Poproč locality. Sample of tested mine water contained 120 μg.l-1 of Sb that represents 24 times more than is the limit for Sb concentration (5 μg.l-1) in drinking water as determined by SR Government Regulation No. 496/2010 Coll. Activated carbon in the process of Sb elimination from the tested mine water showed the lowest effectiveness (20%). Using of the single catex resulted in the 41 % efficiency and using of combination of the catex and annex resulted in 98 % efficiency in the process of Sb removal from the tested mine water. The GEH sorbent showed also high ability (efficiency 98 %) of Sb elimination. Treated mine water (after use of GEH sorbent) was hygienically stabilised with the use of disinfection reagent in the form of 0.3 % ClO 2 solution and the water analysis were performed in the range corresponding to the drinking water analysis. From the obtained experimental results it can be concluded that the present mine water after adequate treatment can be potentially suitable and serve as a source of drinking water at studied locality.

ABSTRACT Occurrence of the increased concentration of potential toxic elements (As, Sb, Pb, Zn) i... more ABSTRACT Occurrence of the increased concentration of potential toxic elements (As, Sb, Pb, Zn) in soils is of a great environmental concern in the vicinity of the abandoned Sb deposits (Dúbrava and Poproč). We have shown that the soils are strongly impacted by the point sources of contamination (old mine drainages, tailing impoundments, and waste-rock dumps). Oxidation of sulphide minerals in the mine tailings may induce the other geochemical processes such as acidiﬁcation and subsequent mobilization of trace elements into the surrounding environment. High Sb and As concentrations were observed in the soils collected at the Dúbrava and Poproč mine sites, reaching up to 9619 ppm (Dúbrava) and 2484 ppm (Poproč), respectively, but relatively high concentrations of Pb and Zn were also detected. Abundant secondary minerals consisting mainly of Fe, Sb(Fe) and Fe(Sb) oxyhydroxides with variable and high Sb, Fe and As contents in their structure were identiﬁed in the soil samples. Furthermore, these oxyhydroxides appear to be relatively stable, and thus they might reduce the mobility of trace elements through the soils horizons.

SGEM2011 11th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference, 2011

In the process of experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water that was sampled a... more In the process of experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water that was sampled at the abandoned Sb deposit at the Eastern Slovakia, three remediation techniques in the form of column experiments were used: removal of Sb by activated carbon; GEH sorbent (granulated Fe(OH) 3 with content of β FeOOH and H 2 O) and the ion exchange resin process with the use of single strongly acidic catex Amberlite IR-120 (Na + cycle) and a combination of catex and weakly basic annex Purolite A-100 (OHcycle). Poproč village, which is located near the abandoned Sb deposit, is currently sufering from a lack of a permanent source of drinking water. However, if the decontaminated mine water was adequately treated it could serve as an alternative source of drinking water at the Poproč locality. Sample of tested mine water contained 120 μg.l -1 of Sb that represents 24 times more than is the limit for Sb concentration (5 μg.l -1 ) in drinking water as determined by SR Government Regulation No. 496/2010 Coll. Activated carbon in the process of Sb elimination from the tested mine water showed the lowest efectiveness (20%). Using of the single catex resulted in the 41 % eiciency and using of combination of the catex and annex resulted in 98 % eiciency in the process of Sb removal from the tested mine water. The GEH sorbent showed also high ability (eiciency 98 %) of Sb elimination. Treated mine water (after use of GEH sorbent) was hygienically stabilised with the use of disinfection reagent in the form of 0.3 % ClO 2 solution and the water analysis were performed in the range corresponding to the drinking water analysis. From the obtained experimental results it can be concluded that the present mine water after adequate treatment can be potentially suitable and serve as a source of drinking water at studied locality.

During the experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water collected at the Sb depos... more During the experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water collected at the Sb deposit Poproč (Slovakia) three remediation techniques were used: absorption on activated carbon; ion exchange resin technique (use of single strongly acidic cationexchanger - catex Amberlite IR 120 and use of combination of strongly acidic catex and weakly basic anion-exchanger - annex Purolite A-100) and absorption on commercial sorbent GEH (granulated Fe(OH)3 with content of βFeOOH and H2O). Characteristic for the tested mine water was the pH value 7.3 and content 120 μg.l-1 of Sb that is 24 times higher concentration than the limit of Sb content in drinking water (5 μg.l-1) ordered by Decree no. 252/2004 Coll. (CZ) and the SR Government Regulation No. 354/2006 Coll. (SK). The results of the column experiments confirmed low ability (20 %) of activated carbon in the process of Sb elimination. Furthermore, use of single strongly acidic catex reflected relatively low (41 %) efficiency in elim...

Applied Geochemistry

A combination of geochemical and mineralogical methods was used to determine the concentrations, ... more A combination of geochemical and mineralogical methods was used to determine the concentrations, mobility, and sources of As in coal-combustion ashes and soils in the vicinity of a thermal power plant at Nováky, central Slovakia. Fresh lagooned ash, ashes buried under agricultural soils for 45 a, and the overlying soils, contain high concentrations of As ranging from 61 to 1535 mg/kg. There is no differences in the water extractable percentages of As between the fresh lagooned ash and buried ashes, which range from 3.80% to 6.70% of the total As. This small amount of As may perhaps reside on the surfaces of the ash particles, as postulated in the earlier literature, but no evidence was found to support this claim. Electron microprobe analyses show that the dominant primary As carriers are the aluminosilicate glasses enriched in Ca and Fe. The acid View the MathML sourceNH4+-oxalate extraction hints that the oxyhydroxides of Si, Al, and Fe are the most probable secondary carriers of ...

Coal combustion waste (ashes) from a Slovak power plant of ENO Novaky that burns high-arsenic bro... more Coal combustion waste (ashes) from a Slovak power plant of ENO Novaky that burns high-arsenic brown coals from Nováky and Handlová coal deposits were characterised in terms of their chemical and mineralogical composition. The studied samples were collected directly from the impoundment and also from the soil, where the ash was buried since 1965 when a dam of one of the ash ponds failed. A combination of methods, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), backscattered electron microscopy (BSE), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray powder diffraction analysis, were used in the present study to characterize the mineral phases in ash samples. The studied samples consist mainly of Si, Fe, Al and Ca; also high is concentration of Mg, K, Na, Ti and S. Content of As is in the range from 714 to 1859 mg.kg-1 and is highest in the fraction under 25 µm. Amorphous aluminosilicate glasses are the most...

Antimony and arsenic are specific environmental problems in Slovakia and till now a very small at... more Antimony and arsenic are specific environmental problems in Slovakia and till now a very small attention was focused on these items. Presence of elevated levels of antimony and arsenic (Zn, Pb, Ni, Fe) in surface, groundwater, stream sediments and soils is issue of environmental concern. This contribution is aimed at evaluation of potentially toxic elements in environmental constituents (natural water, soils, stream sediments, plants) of Olšava river catchment’s and their relative mobility. We found out, that waters, soils, stream sediments and plants are primary affected by point sources of contamination (drainage from old mine, tailing impoundments, waste dumps). Portion of water extractable fraction of Sb in soil ranges from 0,5 to 3,06 % and in stream sediments from 0,08 to 7,15 %. This however, points to low mobility of Sb but due to very high total content leaching of soils and stream sediments may cause water pollution.

Occurrence of the increased concentration of potential toxic elements (As, Sb, Pb, Zn) in soils i... more Occurrence of the increased concentration of potential toxic elements (As, Sb, Pb, Zn) in soils is of a great environmental concern in the vicinity of the abandoned Sb deposits (Dúbrava and Poproč). We have shown that the soils are strongly impacted by the point sources of contamination (old mine drainages, tailing impoundments, and waste-rock dumps). Oxidation of sulphide minerals in the mine tailings may induce the other geochemical processes such as acidiﬁcation and subsequent mobilization of trace elements into the surrounding environment. High Sb and As concentrations were observed in the soils collected at the Dúbrava and Poproč mine sites, reaching up to 9619 ppm (Dúbrava) and 2484 ppm (Poproč), respectively, but relatively high concentrations of Pb and Zn were also detected. Abundant secondary minerals consisting mainly of Fe, Sb(Fe) and Fe(Sb) oxyhydroxides with variable and high Sb, Fe and As contents in their structure were identiﬁed in the soil samples. Furthermore, thes...

The paper is focused on the study of biotic interactions on the site Zemianske Kostoľany (Slovak ... more The paper is focused on the study of biotic interactions on the site Zemianske Kostoľany (Slovak Republic) that is a large area with significant pollution. In 1965, a dam failure of a coal ash impoundment released 3 million m3 of arsenic-rich fly ash in the surrounding environment and thus contaminated approximately 19,000 ha of mostly agricultural land in the adjacent valley of Nitra river. Instead of remediation, the ash layer was covered by 40 – 100 cm of different soil types. In addition to the high content of arsenic, contaminated soils contain also other potentially toxic trace elements (Hg, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn). The diversity of sites with a high proportion of metals is characterized by the occurrence of specifically adapted microorganisms. Their identification and subsequent accurate genotypic and phenotypic characteristics are a prerequisite for further practical applications, especially in bioremediation processes. Base on studies of genotype, it was isolated 34 species that we...

Soil and Water Research

The knowledge of sorption-desorption processes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in natu... more The knowledge of sorption-desorption processes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in natural solids is essential to predict the fate, transport, and environmental risks of these pollutants. In this study, the effect was investigated of temperature on the sorption-desorption of three PAHs (naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene) in two natural solids with different organic carbon contents. In all cases, the sorption isotherms obtained could be well described by the linear sorption model. The analysis based on the measured isotherms and the corresponding equilibrium partition coefficients ( kp) revealed that (1) the sorption of PAHs increased with organic carbon content of the solid and PAH hydrophobicity in the order: sediment < soil and naphthalene < phenanthrene < pyrene, respectively, and (2) the extent of PAH sorption decreased with increasing temperature from 4°C to 27°C on average by 27.3, 17.0, and 27.4% for naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene, respectively. ...

Archives of environmental contamination and toxicology, Jan 16, 2018

Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety

Http Www Sgem Org Sgemlib, 2014

Acta Geologica Slovaca, Dec 15, 2014

SGEM2011 11th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference, 2011

In the process of experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water that was sampled a... more In the process of experimental testing of antimony elimination from mine water that was sampled at the abandoned Sb deposit at the Eastern Slovakia, three remediation techniques in the form of column experiments were used: removal of Sb by activated carbon; GEH sorbent (granulated Fe(OH) 3 with content of β FeOOH and H 2 O) and the ion exchange resin process with the use of single strongly acidic catex Amberlite IR-120 (Na + cycle) and a combination of catex and weakly basic annex Purolite A-100 (OHcycle). Poproč village, which is located near the abandoned Sb deposit, is currently sufering from a lack of a permanent source of drinking water. However, if the decontaminated mine water was adequately treated it could serve as an alternative source of drinking water at the Poproč locality. Sample of tested mine water contained 120 μg.l -1 of Sb that represents 24 times more than is the limit for Sb concentration (5 μg.l -1 ) in drinking water as determined by SR Government Regulation No. 496/2010 Coll. Activated carbon in the process of Sb elimination from the tested mine water showed the lowest efectiveness (20%). Using of the single catex resulted in the 41 % eiciency and using of combination of the catex and annex resulted in 98 % eiciency in the process of Sb removal from the tested mine water. The GEH sorbent showed also high ability (eiciency 98 %) of Sb elimination. Treated mine water (after use of GEH sorbent) was hygienically stabilised with the use of disinfection reagent in the form of 0.3 % ClO 2 solution and the water analysis were performed in the range corresponding to the drinking water analysis. From the obtained experimental results it can be concluded that the present mine water after adequate treatment can be potentially suitable and serve as a source of drinking water at studied locality.

Applied Geochemistry

Soil and Water Research