Fractional and group composition of zinc and lead compounds as an indicator of the environmental status of soils

An ordinary chernozem artificially contaminated with Zn and Pb salts and reclaimed by the addition of chalk and glauconite under pot experimental conditions has been analyzed. The fractional and group composition of the metal compounds in the soil extracts have been determined according to an original combined fractionation procedure. Coefficients characterizing the changes in the environmental status of the metals under the reclamation conditions have been proposed for describing the formation tendencies of the metal composition in the soils. These are the mobility coefficients (MCs) of the heavy metals (HMs) in the soils and the stability coefficients (SCs) of the soils for the HMs. They are calculated from the analysis of the fractional and group composition of the metal compounds. The MC characterizes the environmental vulnerability of soils to the impact of HMs; the SC characterizes the environmental sustainability of soils concerning the contamination with HMs. The obtained experimental data characterize the behavior features of Zn and Pb in the studied soils. An increase in the environmental hazard has been revealed at the contamination of soils with HMs, as well as its decrease at the application of the tested ameliorants. The participation of both strongly and loosely fixed HM fractions in the development of the HM mobility in the soils and the sustainability of the soils to their impact has been shown.