THE EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE HEAVY METALS’ MOBILITY OF THE METALLURGICAL WASTE IN TREPČA
The industrial waste deposit in Žitkovac was utilized for the disposal of various metallurgical wastes, including lead refinery byproducts. This site has been contaminated for many years; despite the company maintaining records of waste disposals, weathering processes altered the waste, leading to the mixing of byproducts from lead production. Consequently, the mineralogical composition of the waste changed, and the behavior of toxic components was affected by weathering, oxidation, and penetration into the soil. To investigate this, eight characteristic samples were collected from three depths: the surface, 300 mm, and 500 mm. Specific sampling locations were chosen based on visible differences as well as the company’s records. The results indicated that lead, arsenic, and ferric compounds had penetrated the deeper layers of the soil, while copper, cadmium, and antimony remained primarily concentrated at the surface. It was noted that the gauge minerals, the agents used in refining residues, and the composition of the soil significantly influenced the behavior and penetration of pollutants within the soil column.