Changes in physicochemical properties of soils in the area affected by lime industry

Abstract

Lime and cement industry belongs to the best developed branches of industry in Opole Voivodeship. The plants are located in eastern and central part of the province, in the vicinity of the city of Opole and the towns of Krapkowice and Strzelce Opolskie due to the location of the resources of calcareous raw materials (limestones and marls).The impact of lime and cement industry on the natural environment, especially soils, was studied by many authors, but these works do not concern the Province of Opole, which is one of the main centers of lime and cement industry in Poland for centuries. The article is an attempt to show changes in physicochemical properties of soils being under long lasting influence of alkaline dust emissions coming from the lime plant in Gorazdze. The research was conducted in the years 2010–2013. The range of the studies included field works in the areas adjacent to the plant, where 12 representative soil pits were arranged to collect samples for laboratory analyses. The following physicochemical parameters were determined in the samples: grain size distribution, reaction (pH), electrical conductivity and the content of calcium carbonate. The studies showed deacidification of the tested sandy soils resulting from alkaline dust deposition, which primarily concerned forest stands, which were characterized by the rise in reaction by 3–4 pH units. In the case of meadows, arable soils and wastelands, the pH values raised by 1–2 units. Moreover, alkaline falling dusts enriched the investigated soils in calcium carbonate. It concerns to the greatest extent the soil pits located nearest to the lime plant, where above 1% of CaCO3 was found. The results of conductivity measurements proved low salinity of the investigated samples.