MONITORING DURING TIME OF RELAPSES OF AN INCINERATION PLANT (original) (raw)

The elemental composition of vegetation and the possible incidence of soil contamination of samples

Science of The Total Environment, 1995

Samples of olive leaves, the lichen Parmelia perlata (from the same trees) and the moss Scleropodium purum were collected in relatively uncontaminated areas of Calabria and Tuscany (Italy). Total concentrations of Al, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in unwashed samples. Concentrations of lithophilic elements in mosses collected at the same samplings were higher in dry and barren environments, whereas in lichens they where significantly higher at the end of the dry season. These variations were probably due to the quantities of soil particles trapped in the samples. The normalization of raw concentrations to soil composition is advisable before making comparisons, assessing baseline concentrations and calculating patterns of trace element fallout over large areas.

Trace element contamination in industrial regions of Poland studied by moss monitoring

Environmental monitoring and assessment, 2003

The use of terrestrial mosses as biomonitors in large-scale multi-element studies of heavy metal deposition from the atmosphere is a well established technique in Europe. In such studies it is advantageous to determine as many elements as possible in order to distinguish between different source categories. A combination of INAA and AAS has been found very useful in this respect, in particular when epithermal activation is used for instrumental neutron activation analysis. A total of 33 elements (Al, Cl, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Ag, Cd, Sb, I, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Tb, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Au, Pb, Th, and U) in Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt. moss samples from the Silesia-Kraków Industrial Region and Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin and from the control (background) area in Northeast Poland were identified. The highest concentrations of the majority of trace elements were found in mosses growing in the Silesia-Kraków Industrial Region, only Cu and As concentrations w...

Contribution of a municipal solid waste incinerator to the trace metals in the surrounding soil

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

This study analyses the pedological environment of the area near a municipal waste incinerator that has been operating in the south-east district of Pisa for approximately 20 years. There are many other industrial activities in the area besides the incinerator, which represent possible sources of pollution, as well as heavy road traffic. The study area was defined by a 0–4-km zone around the site with a population of approximately 12,000 residents. The study included the physical and chemical characterisation of 100 samples of soil and an analysis of trace metals such as Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Hg, As and Cd. The samples were grouped into soil use categories. The results showed Zn, Pb and Hg correlated with their potentially mobile fractions, and suggested an anthropic contribution to their presence in the soil. Ni, Cr and As showed values attributable to a lithological origin. This was consistent with the PCA results. The aim was to define the environmental state of the soil of the area in order to create a reference for future research and to verify the possible presence of pollution from other sources (local industrial activities and traffic).