Assessment of Pollution and Distribution of Heavy Metals in the Soil Near the Flotation Tailings Gornje Polje

This paper refers to the distribution of heavy metals in soil located near the Gornje Polje flotation tailings in Zvecan, in North Kosovo. Physical and chemical properties, determination of total metal concentration by acid digestion and sequential extraction scheme according to BCR (Community Bureau reference) were applied to soil samples. X-Ray diffractometry and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used to analyze soil samples. The obtained results showed that the flotation tailings Gornje Polje still contain quite significant amounts of solid waste, which can release heavy metals into a potential source of pollution. The ratio between the mean concentrations of the tested metals was determined in the order: Pb (3862 mg/kg)>Zn (950.45 mg/kg)>Cu (386.75 mg/kg)> As (365.47 mg/kg)>Ni (220.87 mg/kg)>Cd (23.63 mg/kg). Pb, Zn and Cd showed the highest oncentrations in mobile fractions in soil, compared to other metals. According to the calculated index of potential environmental risk, it was confirmed that the mobility of Cd has a great impact on the environment. The order of potential environmental risk is Cd>As>Pb for all samples of the analyzed soil, and the most polluted places are near the tailings.