Vertical Migration of Copper and Zinc Ions in Soils Polluted by Electroplating Sludge

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the fact the high concentration of copper and zinc ions in waste from electroplating industries and their different migration in the environment make these metals sensitive indicators of industrial pollution. The aim of this work is to study the vertical migration of copper and zinc ions from model sulfate copper‐zinc sludge into the horizons of four soil samples. Technogenic pollution with copper and zinc in the “sludge–soil” system is explained by the chemical composition of galvanic sludge, the properties of metals included in it, and the physicochemical properties of soils. An increase in the content of Cu2+ and Zn2+ with depth is recorded in all layers of the studied soils after pollution with maximum accumulation in the upper layer. The index of the pollution concentration of Zn2+ is 8–31 times higher than that of Cu2+. The fixation of Cu2+ and Zn2+ in the upper soil layer and low migration to the lower layers is facilitated by a high sum of exchangeable cations up to 12.8. The values of the factor of element contamination indicate a high risk of contamination of the upper horizons of the studied soils.