ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Environmental Availability of Trace Metals
(Mercury, Chromium and Nickel) in Soils from
the Abandoned Mine Area of Merník
(Eastern Slovakia)
1
Department of Geochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava,
Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
2
Institute of Geosciences, Burgweg 11, Friedrich-Schiller University, 07749 Jena, Germany
Submission date: 2020-12-03
Final revision date: 2021-02-23
Acceptance date: 2021-02-26
Online publication date: 2021-08-31
Publication date: 2021-10-01
Corresponding author
Edgar Hiller
Department of Geochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Department of Geochemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2021;30(6):5013-5025
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
Physicochemical parametersPollutionPlantsHeavy metalsHeavy metals contamination of soilHeavy metals contamination of plants
ABSTRACT
The former mercury ore deposit of Merník in Eastern Slovakia was selected for the investigation of
the environmental availability of mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) in mine soils. Singlestep
extractions with four chemical agents (deionised water, ethylenediaminetetraacetic (EDTA), acetic
(CH3COOH) and hydrochloric (HCl) acid solutions) and chemical analysis of the common nettle (Urtica
dioica) were used to determine the availability of the three metals. Regardless of the type of extraction,
the soluble ratios of metals in mine soils increased in the order of Hg≤CrCH3COOH ≈ EDTA>˃H2O. The
total or extractable metal concentrations in soil did not correlate with their concentrations in aerial
parts of the common nettle, however, its ability to accumulate these trace metals in roots and aerial
parts copied the results of extraction tests, i.e. Hg≤Cr2O
extractable metal concentrations and the plant root concentrations. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) and
translocation factor (TF) were considerably lower than 1.0, while BCF values for Ni were sensitive to
soil pH, with higher values in more acid soils. The plant availability of Hg and Cr was by one order of
magnitude lower than that of Ni, indicating that the former mine area poses no serious environmental
and health risks, despite high metal concentrations in soil. Higher plant availability of Ni compared
to Hg and Cr was likely due to high Ni solubility in CH3COOH and EDTA solutions (10.3±5.51%
and 9.39±4.50% of the total soil concentration, respectively), which release the metals present in
exchangeable form, carbonate bound and complexed with soil organic matter. Low Hg availability could be explained by its binding to stable cinnabar(metacinnabar) as indicated by extended X-ray absorption
fine structure (EXAFS) and μ-X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF).
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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