Post - Mining soil as carbon storehouse under polish conditions.

The main aim of these studies was to determine the potential for carbon sequestration in brown coal open-cast mine by phytoremediation using scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and giant miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) plants. This paper presents relationships between soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration and carbon phytosequestration in waste dump associated with open-cast lignite mine in Central Poland.

Sewage sludge disposal strategies for sustainable development.

The main objective of the present review is to compare the existing sewage sludge management solutions in terms of their environmental sustainability. The most commonly used strategies, that include treatment and disposal has been favored within the present state-of-art, considering existing legislation (at European and national level), characterization, ecotoxicology, waste management and actual routs used currently in particular European countries. Selected decision making tools, namely End-of-waste criteria and Life Cycle Assessment has been proposed in order to appropriately assess the possible environmental, economic and technical evaluation of different systems.

Trace metal exposure of soil bacteria depends on their position in the soil matrix.

Micropores and biofilms of soils may protect bacteria against chemical stress, predation, and competition phenomena, explaining the great diversity and robustness of soil microbial communities and functions. We used sequential dispersion/density gradient centrifugation to separate free and loosely attached cells (FLA) from strongly attached cells (SA). The two fractions of the soils communities were investigated along a Zn and Cd pollution gradient, and the pollution-induced trace metal community tolerance (PICT) for SA and FLA was analyzed.

Speciation of Cd and Zn in contaminated soils assessed by DGT-DIFS, and WHAM/Model VI in relation to uptake by spinach and ryegrass.

A pot experiment was carried out to investigate the impact of Cd and Zn extractability in soil and speciation in pore water of industrial contaminated soils, on metal concentration in a metal sensitive species like spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and a more metal tolerant species like Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum). For chemical speciation of Cd and Zn in pore water, WHAM/Model VI version 6.0 was used.