S. Ya. Trofimov

Accumulation of heavy metals in oil-contaminated peat soils

X-ray fluorescence and X-ray radiometry represent easy and simple methods to determine concentrations of heavy metals in the ash of peat soils contaminated with oil and can be applied for soil monitoring purposes. Oil spills on peat bogs produce two contamination zones differing in the composition of heavy metals. In the zone of primary contamination, the peat surface is covered by a bitumen crust with V, Ni, Sr, Ba, Ce, and La accumulating there. This zone adjoins the zone of secondary peat contamination, where heavy alkaline-earth metals (Sr, Ba) and lanthanides (Ce and La) are accumulated to a lesser extent. Biological preparations recommended for remediation of oil-contaminated peat soils should be tolerant to high concentrations of heavy metals, particularly, V, Ni, and Ba that are present in the oil contaminated soils in relatively high amounts.

Carbon accumulation in soils of forest and bog ecosystems of southern Valdai in the Holocene

Carbon stocks and accumulation rates in humus and peat horizons of the contiguous soil series of forest and bog ecosystems have been studied in the Central Forest State Biosphere Reserve, Tver Region. Upland soil types (soddy podzolic, brown, and white podzolic) have been compared to paludified (peat-enriched gley podzolic and peaty gley) and bog soils differing in trophic status, including those of upland, transitional, and lowland bogs. The results show that carbon stocks in mineral soils are many times smaller than in waterlogged soils and an order of magnitude smaller than in bog soils. Mineral and bog soils are characterized by similar rates of carbon accumulation averaged over the entire period of their existence. The highest rate of carbon accumulation has been noted for the soils of waterlogged habitats, although this process may be periodically disturbed by fires and other stress influences.

Influence of oil and stratal water contamination on the ash composition of oligotrophic peat soils in the oil-production area (the Ob’ region)

The mineral contamination of peat soils in the oil-production area differs considerably in the places of oil or stratal water spills. The time elapsed since the spill occurred is also an important factor of the changes in the chemical composition of the peat ash. The ash content rises drastically in the oil-contaminated peat, and the peat ash becomes rich in heavy metals (Mn, Ni, and Sr) and lanthanides (La and Ce). The content of K and Fe decreases, and that of P, S, Mg, Ca, Ni, and Pb increases with time at the site of old oil contamination. In the course of the self-rehabilitation of oil-contaminated peat, the content of Cl decreases more intensely than that of the heavier halogen Br. The ash content rises to a lesser extent in the peat contaminated with stratal water. The ash of the salinized peat is enriched in heavy alkaline-earth elements, i.e., Ba and Sr. Although most of the elements are leached with time, the content of Ba and Sr still remains 4–6 times higher than the background one even after long-term (more than 10 years) leaching. The concentrations of halogens rise considerably in the salinized peat, that of Cl in the peat ash decreases by 10 times, and the content of Ba virtually remains the same.

Laboratory simulation of the successive aerobic and anaerobic degradation of oil products in oil-contaminated high-moor peat

A model experiment has been performed on the successive aerobic and anaerobic degradation of oil products in samples of oil-contaminated peat sampled from a pine-subshrub-sphagnum bog near the Sutormin oilfield pipeline in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district. During the incubation of oil-contaminated peat with lime and mineral fertilizers under complete flooding, favorable conditions are created for the aerobic oxidation of oil products at the beginning of the experiment and, as the redox potential decreases, for the anaerobic degradation of oil products conjugated with the reduction of N5+ and S+6 and methanogenesis. From the experimental data on the dynamics of the pH; Eh; and the NO3−, NO2−, and SO42− concentrations in the liquid phase of the samples, it has been found that denitrifiers significantly contributed to the biodegradation of oil products under the experimental conditions. After the end of the experiment, the content of oil products in the contaminated samples decreased by 21–26%.

Changes in the humus status and the structure of the microbial biomass in hydrogen exhalation places

The exhalation of hydrogen out of the earth’s deep sediments in the areas usually confined to tectonic fractures has been investigated. In places of hydrogen exhalation, ring-shaped structures of subsidence are formed. They are well identified on satellite images. The concentrations of molecular hydrogen measured in the field exceed to a great extent its probable production in soils. The soils influenced by two factors—a flux of molecular hydrogen and temporary waterlogging—are shown to degrade rapidly. The humus content decreases by 2–3 times; the optical density of the humic acids drops significantly; and the humus distribution, according to the morphological features, points to its high mobility. On the whole, hydrogen emissions inhibit the microbial activity resulting in a drastic decrease of the total microbial biomass and a greater contribution of bacteria to its structure. In a model experiment with hydrogen passing through a soil column, the bleaching of the soil by 2% and some reduction in the optical density of the humic acids were recorded.

Automorphic taiga soils of the Sredneobskaya Lowland

The morphology of the profile, some chemical properties, and particle-size distribution of the automorphic soils developed from lacustrine-alluvial loamy-clayey deposits in the Sredneobskaya Lowland are considered. The soils of the West Siberian middle taiga zone remain poorly studied. A comparison of our data with data on podzolic soils in the northeastern part of European Russia and with diagnostic characteristics of the soil type of svetlozems included in the new classification system of Russian soils (2004) allows to argue that the studied soils cannot be classified as podzolic soils; most of them also do not fit the diagnostic criteria of svetlozems. The obtained data on the particle-size distribution in the studied soils do not agree with the concept of the sedimentation zonality in the West Siberian Plain.

Characteristics of the biochemical composition of plant litter at different stages of decomposition (according to thermal analysis data)

The composition of samples of needles, leaves, sheaved cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum) tissues, and the L horizon of the forest floor of different degree of decomposition, isolated from the plant litter in southern taiga ecosystems, was studied by thermal analysis. It was established that plant litter decomposition is accompanied by structural changes in celluloses and that the decomposition rates of hemicellulose and structured cellulose vary at different stages of decomposition. The structural specificity and incongruent thermal decomposition of grass lignocellulose were observed in all samples of plant material. The rates at which the content of components of the plant litter decreased depended on the type and stage of decomposition of plant material. The decomposition rate of biochemical components tended to increase in better drained soils.

Microbial transformation of nitrogen compounds in soils of the southern taiga

The intensity of the processes of nitrogen mineralization, fixation, and denitrification was assessed in the high-moor peat gley, white-podzolic, pale-podzolic, burozem, low-moor peat, and soddy-gley soils of the Central Forest Biosphere Reserve (CFBR). The actual and potential activities of the nitrogen fixation and denitrification were determined using the gas-chromatographic method, and the intensity of the ammonification was determined using ion-selective electrodes. The maximum intensity of the nitrogen fixation was observed in the low-moor peat and soddy-gley soils, which are characterized by a high content of organic matter. High denitrification activity was found in the low-moor peat soil (0.31 nmol N2O/g per h); this was determined by the excessive moistening of this soil. The processes of organic nitrogen mineralization were the most intensive in the upper (L and F) subhorizons of the litter.

The elemental composition and amphiphilic properties of humic acids in southern taiga soils

This paper gives the characteristics of the elemental composition and amphiphilic properties of humic acids (HAs) extracted from different horizons of the most typical soils in the Central Forest Biosphere Reserve (CFBR, the Tver Oblast). An attempt at characterizing some properties of the structure of HAs is made based on the data of the elemental composition. The data on amphiphilic properties enable one to reveal whether components that are capable of migration are present.

Changes in the composition and properties of humic acids under the influence of microorganisms

By gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 and G-75, we investigated the changes in the composition and ratio of the molecular fractions of humic acids under the influence of native soil microbial complexes. The highest degree of decomposition of the initial humic acid was observed when ammonium nitrate was used as a source of additional energy in the mineral nutrient medium without a yeast extract. The appearance of a low molecular fraction of organic substances on chromatograms may be associated with the synthesis by bacteria of simple organic substances on the medium with humic acids as a single source of carbon.