Environmental Risk Due to Heavy Metal Contamination Caused by Old Copper Mining Activity at ?ubietová Deposit, Slovakia

Abstract

The more than 200 years old dump-fields at closed Cu (Ag) deposit Ľubietová are situated near the village settlement. Heavy metal space distribution is controlled by geochemical behaviour of the elements, depend on their content, solubility, migration and sorption ability. The major sources of metals to the country components (soil, technogenous sediments, groundwater, surface water, plants…) may be classified according to expected solubility of primary minerals. The content of heavy metals in sediments and soils at the studied dump-field shows irregular distribution. Also the heavy metal contamination of the surface water and groundwater was studied both in the rainy as well as during the dry periods. The speciation of As and Sb proved in the water presence both of As 3+ and Sb 3+ as well as the less toxic As 5+ and Sb 5+ species. In the soil and sediments prevail As 5+ and Sb 5+ species while in the water is often dominant the As 3+ and Sb 3+ form. The article also presents some results of the plant tissue degradation study under heavy metal contaminated conditions at dump-fields. The dump sediments and the primitive soil formed locally on the surface of the technogenous sediments show only limited acidification potential. The Fe 0-barrier installation at bottom of the down part of the valley seems to be a good solution for the groundwater decontamination.