Sulphur migration in the soil–plant system contaminated by deposits from nickel industry: a field manipulation

Sulphur migration in the soil–plant system was studied in a field experiment carried out in the spruce–pine forest 70 km SE from the ‘Severonickel’ smelting plant on the Kola Peninsula. In the experiment, dry particle deposits collected from filters of smokestacks in different departments of ‘Severonickel’ were applied on the study plots and on gravity lysimeters in quantities simulating estimated actual annual emissions in the area within 2–5 km from the smelter. In the present paper, the effects of two types of deposits consisting mostly of water-soluble sulphates of copper and nickel are described (“Cu-contaminant”: Cu—55%, Ni—3.8%, SO4 — 25%; “Ni-contaminant”: Ni—20%, Cu—5%, SO4 — 65%). Soil, plant tissue and penetration water were analysed during 3 years after the treatment. Extractable sulphur distribution in the soil–plant system showed downward movement after 1 year and upward movement after 3 years. The trend was more pronounced in the site treated with Ni-contaminant.