Patent-information support for assessing the environmental status of the soil

Abstract

Innovative (patent information research, elaboration of new methods and their implementation) and environmental management, the using of human-contaminated soils, soil protection against pollution and its prevention are the basic directions of the strategic management of soil resources. In conditions of intensive anthropogenic pressure the assessment of the ecological status of soils is an important factor, which reduces the risks of soil degradation and to propose ways to restore their productive and ecological functions on the further development of functional - ecological approach in soil science (Dobrovolsky, Nikitin, 1986, 1996). Therefore, urgent and important in theoretical and practical aspect is the elaboration of new technical decisions (methods) of soil quality assessment to create conditions to improve and to prevent the reduction of the level of productivity of soils and plants, the deterioration of their quality. The purpose of the investigations – the analysis of information sources existing patent information base of Ukraine and Russia on the issue of the environmental assessment of soils and perform patent research. Tasks perform patent research: the technical level of the object; analysis of scientific and technical activities leading developers; studying trends existing way to do that; techno-economic analysis of technical solutions/inventions that meet the objectives of the development; the study of the newness and novelty of the developed object and its constituent parts; investigated of the feasibility of its legal protection. It was considered the features of assessment of the soils environmental status in the investigation of the current patent-information database in Ukraine and Russia, components of which are developed new technical decisions. It was reviewed the providing patent information to assess the ecological status of both contaminated and uncontaminated soils. By analysis it was found that the patent-information support of Ukraine and Russia relative to existing methods of soils ecological status assessment is presented by the following ways: the ways of assessing of the soils research background concentrations, mobile, gross or water-soluble forms of trace elements and heavy metals; estimates based on bioassay and bioindication in combination with chemical analytical measurement indicators; comprehensive and expert evaluation of the properties of soils and its contamination; assessment of soil quality, considering the physical, physic-chemical and others properties; assessment of soil pollution using GIS technology, etc. The technical result of the developed methods is to improve the objectivity of assessment of changing soil quality and accuracy of the expert-analytical assessments of functional suitability of soils certain territory to growing different crops on a permanent or constant impact factor of pollution; for zoning for maximum efficiency use of different methods, methods of remediation of contaminated soils or soil improvers of different nature and micronutrients using to optimize the trace element status of soil and plants, soil quality; to evaluate the effectiveness of the testing results of the elaborated technical decisions in different soil-climatic zones.