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SOIL POLLUTION IN THE INFLUENCE AREA OF THE DEVA-MINTIA COAL-FIRED POWER STATION

Claudia-Elena PREDA

Abstract

The coal-fired power stations are particularly complex polluting agents, furnishing simultaneously, high and low environmental pollution sources, through the chimneys for burning gases evacuation and the ash dumps, respectively. The Deva-Mintia coal-fired power stations has an installed power of 1260 MW, six power units of 210 MW each group having two steam boilers of 330t/h, the energy being produced by the coal extracted from Jiu Valley mining area. Coal-fired power station Mintia is located in South East Transylvania, at 9 km away from the Deva town. Within the zone influenced by the Deva-Mintia coal-fired power station, the main pollutants are sulphur dioxide, coal dust and the ash which contains carbon as well as silicon dioxide, aluminum oxides, and alkaline and alkaline earth metals (Ca, Mg, K). Secondary pollutants accumulated into the soils are heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd), which could be translocated in plants, and further through tropic network could affect the human health. The soil forming factors, as the rock, parental material, and relief, have governed the evolution of lithomorphic zonal soils. The soils of the investigated area belonging to five classes: Luvisols, Vertisols, Gleysols, Cambisols, and Protisols. The subject of this paper is referring to the heavy metals loading degree of soils in the territory affected by the Rovinari coal-fired power station emissions. Soil samples have been collected on two depth (0-5 cm and 5-35 cm) from 49 main soil profiles oriented to all the cardinal directions, and then have been analyzed in order to determine: pH, base saturation degree, and the contents of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in mobile forms, heavy metals and sulphur. Assessment of heavy metals pollution of the soils from the influence area of the Deva-Mintia coal-fired power station revealed that, in general, the pollution is distinguished by higher values of the various metallic elements content in the superficial (0-5 cm) soil layer. The highest content of heavy metals, exceeding either the alert and intervention thresholds, were recorded in the dump area, coming mainly as a result of its wind erosion, plus the chimneys emissions contribution. Heavy metal pollution of soils in the coal-fired power station area can be explained only due to the presence of these elements into the raw material subjected to combustion, respectively, into the coal.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2017/32/s13.067

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