Assessment of the Total Nickel Content and its Available Forms in the Soils Around Cement Plant Lafarge Poland

ABSTRACT: Limestone, exploited near Bielawy, a town located in the kujawsko-pomorskie province of Poland, is the main raw material in the production process in a cement plant. The dust emitted by the factory is of alkaline pH and contains such heavy metals as: cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni). The research aims at assessing the influence of cement dust on the total content and bioavailable forms of nickel in the soils adjacent to the cement plant. The material comprised the samples of luvisols, taken at different distance from the pollution emmiter, in which the following parameters were determined: pH in 1M KCl, the content of CaCO3, organic carbon and texture. The total content of nickel ranged between 1.40 and 8.70 mg/kg and as such it does not exceed the nickel content typical for non contaminated soils of the region. The content of phytoavailable forms of nickel ranged between 0.03 and 0.8 mg/kg and is considered as below-toxicity level, yet may cause allergies. Taking into consideration the texture of the examined soils, their low buffer capacity and vulnerability to pollution it is critical to control the content of nickel and the other metals in soils surrounding the cement plant