ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Assessment of Soil Contamination by Heavy
Metals: A Case of Turkistan Region
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1
Department of Ecology, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
2
Department of Ecological Monitoring and Management, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus
3
Department of Food Technology and Safety, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov,
Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Submission date: 2021-07-14
Final revision date: 2021-09-20
Acceptance date: 2021-09-27
Online publication date: 2021-12-23
Publication date: 2022-03-22
Corresponding author
Aktore Zhanibekov
Department of Ecology, South Kazakhstan University named after M. Auezov, 5 Tauke khan avenue, 160011, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(2):1985-1993
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ABSTRACT
The ecological situation continues to remain very tense in the Turkistan region, which is associated
with the consequences of the extensive economic activity of the past decades with the use of outdated
technologies, as well as the urbanization of the city of Shymkent. The aim: to determine the impact of
industrial pollution on the state of soils in technogenic landscapes. Objectives: (1) to identify polluted
industrial areas in the Turkistan region; (2) to distinguish the primary pollutants emitted from industries
in the Turkistan region; and (3) to assess the state of soil in industrial areas of the Turkistan region.
To obtain a qualitative analysis of the soil, the method of atomic absorption spectrometry was used, then
the method of a scanning electron microscope was used to obtain enlarged images and morphology of
the soil. The scanning electron microscope made it possible to obtain quantitative data on the elements
contained in soils. The examined soil specimens were found to have very low concentrations of metals,
such as aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and titanium (Ti). The primary pollutants
(Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd) were determined. These metals were present in concentrations that significantly
exceeded the regional background values.