Assessment of the environmental condition in the area of the closed landfills of the Krakowskie Zakłady Sodowe Solvay
More details
Hide details
1
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management, AGH University of Krakow, al. Adama Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
Corresponding author
Małgorzta Śliwka
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management, AGH University of Krakow, al. Adama Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
J. Ecol. Eng. 2025; 26(5):148-158
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The soda waste sediment ponds of Krakowskie Zakłady Sodowe Solvay are located in the southern part of Krakow, within the city. The complex of sedimentation ponds consists of three parts, where approximately 5 million Mg of waste was deposited. Between the landfills flows the Wilga River. During field research, water samples were taken from river before it entered the sediments area and after it left. Also surface layer soil samples were also taken from sediment ponds that were not fully reclaimed, including from places where the ground cover was devastated. Physicochemical tests of collected water and soil samples (including tests of water extracts from soil) and biological tests were performed to assess phytotoxicity. Concentration of ions were investigated by the photometric method, results indicate chloride concentration in water of river after flowing through sediment ponds is 5,4 times higher. Concertation of sulfate is also higher, but about 18%. The analysis of the phytotoxic properties of the sediments included testing the phytotoxicity of the water extract from the sediments against Lepidium sativum. They were also not found to be phytotoxic to the test plants, and differences in the early growth of the test plants were statistically insignificant, although a slight inhibition was noted in the test sites compared to the control