Vol. 337 No. 8 (2026)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/8/5062
Assessment of heavy metal pollution of soils of the solid municipal waste landfill of the city of Rostov-on-Don
Relevance. Operation of solid municipal waste landfills leads to soil degradation and a decrease in its fertility. Studying the impact of heavy metals on the ecology of landfill soils and soils of adjacent territories is important, since the accumulation of high concentrations of heavy metals can lead to disruption of the ecological and agricultural functions of the soil. Aim. To assess the contamination of soils by heavy metals at the solid municipal waste landfill in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Objects. The studied soil samples taken from the center of the landfill were compared to soils of the adjacent territory at different distances and directions relative to the center of the landfill. Methods. Gross contents of heavy metals and metalloids (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Pb, Rb, Zr, Ba) were studied using the X-ray fluorescence method. The obtained values were used to calculate the pollution indices: background enrichment coefficient, individual unified pollution index, geoaccumulation index, pollution load index, Nemerov pollution index, potential ecological risk index, pollution protection index, pollution probability index, and general pollution degree index. These indicators were used to determine the pollution degree of the studied territories. Results: The excess of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb according to the MAC at the landfill from the control was determined. A very high concentration of heavy metals and metalloids compared to the MAC and background was found in the center and close to the center of the landfill, indicating the anthropogenic contribution of these elements. The evaluation of the results showed that the pollution load index is more reliable for assessing the pollution of the landfill and the adjacent territory with heavy metals. When compared, the used indices and pollution coefficients formed the following series: pollution load index>general pollution degree index>Nemerov pollution index>pollution probability index>pollution protection index>potential ecological risk index=background enrichment coefficient. The adjacent territory of the landfill was polluted to a lesser extent. The applied indices and coefficients can be used in environmental assessment, as well as in monitoring and for preventing soil pollution with heavy metals and metalloids.
For citation: Kucherova A.V., Minnikova T.V., Kolesnikov S.I., Sherstnev A.K. Assessment of heavy metal pollution of soils of a municipal solid waste landfill of the city of Rostov-on-Don. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering, 2026, vol. 337, no. 8, pp. 90–101. http://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/8/5062
Keywords:
soil, heavy metals, ordinary chernozem, indexes of pollution, pollution degree
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