1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture:
TOWARDS SOIL SUSTAINABILITY
11–13 June 2024 • Lublin–Nałęczów, Poland

https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.16
Published online: 4 October 2024

Heavy metal toxicity of Fluvisols from embankments
and inter-embankment zones using pollution indices –
a case study from Odra river valley (SW Poland)
Dorota Kawałko*, Joanna Beata Kowalska

Institute of Soil Science, Plant Nutrition and Environmental Protection, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Science, Grunwaldzka 53, 50-357 Wrocław, Polska
* Corresponding author:

Abstract
The aim of this research is to present a case study of applying pollution indices to assess heavy metal pollution in the Odra river valley (Dolny Śląsk, SW Poland), considering the impact of gradual sediment deposition by rivers on pollution levels. We will examined the application of these indices in both embankment area and inter-embankment zone, analysing the influence of industrial, agricultural, and soil factors on heavy metal pollution levels. Through this analysis, this study aims to enrich our understanding of the role of pollution indices in assessing and monitoring heavy metal pollution and draw attention to the need for effective environmental management strategies in areas threatened by such pollution. The research was carried out in the Odra river valley, in its middle course, down-stream from Wrocław. Soil profiles were divided into two groups due to: location in relation to the Odra River, grain size distribution and land use. Soil texture and chemical analyses were carried out with the methods commonly used in soil science after soil grinding to a fine powder. Total concentrations of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb were determined, after soil digestion with aqua regia (concentrated HCl + HNO₃, 3 + 1) in a microwave system, according to ISO 11466 (1995). The concentrations of elements in the digests were measured by ICP-AES (iCAP 7400, Thermo Fisher Scientific). We have decided to use six pollution indices: two single pollution indices (Single Pollution Index (PI) and Contamination Factor (Cf)) as well as four complex pollution indices (Degree of Contamination (Cdeg), Background Enrichment Factor (PIN), Potential Ecological Risk (RI), Pollution Load Index (PLI) and we decided to use two types of geochemical background: reference and local. The obtained results of pollution indicators clearly indicate that the level of soil contamination is different in soils in the embankment and out of the embankments. According to PI, Cf, PIN, RI, higher contamination was observed in soil profiles with silty loam texture, used as meadows and localized in the inter-embankment zone. The PIN indicator also shows that generally higher contamination is most common in the higher layers. The used indicators allowed to verify the inserts of the material which are clearly more contaminated. Based on the RI indicator, it can be concluded that, regardless of the type of geochemical background, the surface horizons are the most potentially at risk. Alluvial soils can be a mirror of gradual deposition of contaminants.

Keywords: alluvial soils, flood embankments, farmlands, heavy metals, pollution indices

How to cite
Kawałko D., Kowalska J.B., 2024. Heavy metal toxicity of Fluvisols from embankments and inter-embankment zones using pollution indices – a case study from Odra river valley (SW Poland). 1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture: Towards Soil Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.16