| Abstract: | Soil development and heavy metal contents of a street sweepings dump Soils from an unsealed street sweepings dump of the city of Kiel are inhomogeneous in their properties and in their distribution pattern. The deposited material is contaminated with copper, zinc, lead, and at lower concentrations with cadmium. The high pH-values lead to predominating immobility of heavy metals. However, heavy metals bonded in organic complexes are liable to be leached into the underground because of a high portion of large pores in these soils. Since there are only few other possible bonding mechanisms than organics, after the leaching of lime, pH decline, and mineralization of organic matter mobilization of heavy metals may be predicted. Thus, in the unsealed dump a danger of groundwater pollution with heavy metals remains. The site should be treated accordingly permanently after closing. |
