Railway operation can result in the significant environment contamination with heavy metals. The aim of the study was to broaden the knowledge about the railway transport as a source of heavy metals. Railway ballast stones and herbicides were chosen as the objects of the research since these contamination sources on railways are hardly investigated. The location of sampling the ballast stones was a passenger station, which is characterized by the high traffic intensity. The three most common glyphosate-based herbicides and two combination system herbicides of burn-down with other active agents were chosen for the analysis. The heavy metal content in the railway ballast stones was detected by means of XRF, in the herbicides-by means of MP-AES. The railway ballast stones did not contain a sufficient amount of Cd, Co, Mo, Pd, Sn and W for detection. Pb and As were detected at the low concentration of less than 35 ppm only in several samples. The research results showed that the investigated railway ballast contained a significant amount of Fe, Mn, Cu, Cr and Ni. According to the absolute content of HMs in the contaminated ballast layer, they can be arranged in the following sequence: Fe > Mn > Cu > Cr > Ni > Zn > Pb > As. The content of Fe in the contaminated ballast stones was strongly correlated with that of Ni (r = 0.972), Cr (r = 0.954) and Mn (r = 0.943). These metals are components of the railway steel. Therefore, their source can be the abrasion of rails and wheels. All the investigated herbicides contained Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The highest content of Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb was detected in the "Anti field bindweed" herbicide, which can be related to its complicated composition. Compared to the heavy metal content in the ballast stones, the herbicides can be considered a negligible source of these pollutants.

Purpose. The scientific paper aims at analyzing the current state of the railway infrastructure soil contamination with heavy metals (HM), namely, the three stations of Prydniprovska railway: Kamianske-Pasazhyrske, Zaporizhzhia-Kamianske and Trytuzna. Methodology. The research object is the soil of the above mentioned railway stations, the research subject is the total content of HM. Sampling was carried out every 15 m between and outside both rails up to the end of railway ties. The total area of the investigated sites is 600 m 2. The total form of Fe, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Mn concentration was determined by the atomic absorption spectrometry method. The obtained data were compared with the background concentration of HM for Dnipropetrovsk oblast and the results of analyzing the reference control located at a distance of 250 m from the railway stations. Findings. It is found out that rail transport is a source of HM emission into soil. The findings indicate that the soil state of the Kamianske-Pasazhyrske station corresponds to a low ecological risk and a low degree of pollution, since the station is a passenger one only and pollution occurs mostly due to the friction of wheels and rails and that of the pantograph and overhead system, as well as the pesticide use. The soil contamination of the Zaporizhzhia-Kamianske station is characterized by a considerable potential environmental risk and a very high degree of pollution. This station is a cargo-passenger one, and this pollution level is mainly due to loading and unloading processes. The soil of the Trytuzna station is characterized by an average potential ecological risk and a moderate degree of pollution. Although this station is mainly used for the freight trains reformation, but due to the transportation of large volumes of bulk ore cargoes HM fall into soil. Besides, the station is not electrified. Recommendations for assessment of the soil pollution levels are given. Originality. For the first time the potential ecological risk of soil contamination was determined on the basis of the physical and chemical analysis of the HM content in the soil of the above-mentioned stations. Practical value. The results of the study can be used as a justification of the reasonability of introducing the environmental monitoring programs for the railway land, the environmental protection measures for the soil treatment from HM, correcting the railway exclusion zone, as well as protection of adjacent territories from the propagation and accumulation of the mentioned pollutants. The necessity and urgency of the constant control of the HM content in the railway soil and the relevance of the research continuation in this scientific direction are confirmed on the basis of the received data.

Green spaces in an industrially polluted city are extremely important for the physical activity and mental health of its inhabitants. The study aim was to analyze the urban green space dynamics and the greening degree of different functional zones typical for a big Ukrainian industrial city (Dnipro, Ukraine). This article used the remote sensing methods and geographic information systems (GIS) to assess the percentage of green spaces in the city of Dnipro, its eight districts, parks, ravines, and sanitary protection zones. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used for mapping the urban green spaces within the ravines, parks, and sanitary protection zones. According to our results, 67% of Dnipro city is greened (NDVI >0.3). On average, there are 219 m2 of green spaces per person, which is 24 and 4 times more than the minimum and optimal values recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), respectively. It was found that the NDVI values were significantly lower in the territories of sanitary protection zones, compared to the other functional zones. The results of NDVI analysis indicate a significant variation of the studied parameter during the vegetative season, with two typical peaks of the green space vegetative activity. The peak of plant vegetative activity occurs in the first decade of June, followed by slight decline for 2–3 weeks, then there is another increase in the activity, reaching the maximum in mid-July. Even in autumn, the photosynthetic activity remains relatively high for most of the urban areas, declining only from mid-October. In addition, a method and algorithm for estimating and standardizing the level of the urban area greening based on the remote sensing methods and zonal statistics tools are proposed.

в лабораторних умовах особливості процесів біовилуговування важких металів бактеріями виду Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans як явища кислотного шахтного дренажу. Методика дослідження полягає у вивченні закономірностей хімічних процесів кислотного шахтного дренажу в гірничих сірковмісних породах внаслідок активності ацидофільних бактерій виду A. ferrooxidans. Досліджено процес вилуговування сірки та міді з штучно підготовлених культуральних середовищ. Кількісне визначення вмісту іонів міді у пробах культурального середовища виконано колориметричним методом. Для детальної оцінки змін концентрацій заліза та міді у пробах та детального мікроелементного аналізу застосовано метод масспектрометрії з індуктивно зв'язаною плазмою (ІЗП-МС). Результати дослідження. Виконана низка експериментів щодо біопоглинання та біовилуговування важких металів в культуральних середовищах з бактеріями A. ferrooxidans. Встановлено, що внаслідок бактеріальної активності спостерігається поступове зниження pH в культуральних середовищах через ріст бактерій, внаслідок чого важкі метали вилуговуються в розчин. Наукова новизна. Встановлено нові залежності щодо біовилуговування та біопоглинання важких металів в культуральних середовищах внаслідок росту ацидофільних бактерій. Так, за 12 днів експерименту в середовищі з елементарною сіркою концентрація сірчаної кислоти підвищилася в 2,5-3 рази, pH розчину знизився в середньому з 2,66 до 2,17, а об'ємні витрати NaOH для нейтралізації H2SO4 у розчині збільшилися з 0,73 до 1,83 мл. На середовищі з сульфідом міді Cu2S концентрація заліза за рахунок його поглинання бактеріями зменшилась в середньому з 113,42 до 44,13 ммоль/л, концентрація міді збільшилась з 2,77 до 12,1 ммоль/л, pH розчину знизився в середньому з 2,63 до 2,12, одиниць. Практичне значення. Результати досліджень дозволяють розробити дієві заходи щодо усунення кислотного шахтного дренажу з породних масивів, що містять сульфіди важких металів. Ключові слова: кислотний шахтний дренаж, біовилуговування, важкі метали, культуральне середовище, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, метод мас-спектрометрії з індуктивно зв'язаною плазмою (ІЗП-МС) Вступ. У місцях розробки родовищ корисних копалин найбільш значними джерелами забруднення навколишнього природного середовища є породні від