Trace element distribution in soils of the Bohdanka coal mine impact zone (Lublin coal basin): a geochemical perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17794/rgn.2026.5.5Keywords:
coal mine, rock dump, trace elements, geochemical processes, environmental safety, technological safety, human healthAbstract
This study presents the results of investigations of chemical element content in soils within the influence zone of a coal mine waste dump and focuses on the Bohdanka coal mine (Lublin Coal Basin) and its impact on surrounding ecosystems. The geochemical information is based on data on the concentration of 12 chemical elements (P, S, Ti, Y, Zr, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, V, Mn, Sr) in soils at six sites affected by the waste dump. Mathematical modelling was carried out by establishing relationships between chemical element concentrations. Based on the absolute content in the soils of the studied areas, the following groups of microelements were identified: I – Ti (4854 mg/kg); II – S (804 mg/kg); III.1 – P, Mn, Zr (353–590 mg/kg); III.2 – V, Sr, Zn (86–145 mg/kg); III.3 – Pb, Y, Ni, Cu (21–26 mg/kg). Site No. 4 (foot of the rock dump) is characterised by a hazardous level of soil pollution (total pollution index Zc = 53.1–76.5), while site No. 2 is at the upper limit of the permissible level of pollution with a transition to a moderately hazardous zone (Zc = 10.8–15.1). Other sites are characterised by permissible levels of pollution. Discriminant analysis enabled the determination of the distribution of microelements in the upper soil layers by depth, forming a geochemical sequence of 5 cm → 10 cm → 15 cm. The developed mathematical models make it possible to refine ecological gradients of chemical element distribution in soils, primarily heavy metals, in the upper soil layers.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Vasyl Popovych, Viktor Skrobala, Victoria Serhiyenko, Taras Boyko, Yevhen Kobko, Nazarii Koval, Oksana Telak, Ostap Kit, Iryna Fediv
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