Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape ManagementPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:Abstract. Vehicles release large amounts of heavy metals to the environment. There have been done a lot of investigations analysing the distribution of heavy metals in soils near intensive regional roads. However, there is lack of investigations into the impact of small-intensity gravel roads on roadside soil contamination with heavy metals. The object of this investigation is four gravel roads of local significance connecting small villages. The intensity of these roads is very low. The gravel roads are chosen according to application of dust-minimizing materials, for example, CaCl 2 and oil emulsion. According to our results, none of the soil samples had an excess of heavy metal concentration limit. Besides, heavy metal concentrations were decreasing with a distance from the road increasing. We can make an assumption that road dust-minimizing materials do not have a significant impact on heavy metal distribution in roadside soils. The major factors of heavy metal pollution distribution in roadside soils are traffic intensity, roadside trenches, and topographic conditions.

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Road transport is one of the biggest soil polluter. There are a lot of investigations of soil pollution near highways, but soil pollution near gravel roadsides needs more experimental research. In this experimental study we selected gravel road Juseviciai – Budvietis – Derviniai and analyzed soil pollution near this road. Soil samples were collected on both sides of the road by making the transversal profile, the sampling points move away of the road at a distance 1; 2; 5; 10 meters, the samples were collected in 600 meters long strip. All samples were collected by using the envelope principle, samples were taken from the top of the soil layer 0–10 cm depth. It was established that Mn concentration in the soil sample, which was taken from the middle of gravel road carriageway, reached 238,5 mg/kg – it means 1,79 times less than background value. This value is more than 6 times less than maximum allowed concentration and quit close to the values, which were established on both sides in the soil close to gravel road. The modelling of Mn concentration where made in appropriate scale of mathematical model – 15 meter to both sides of gravel road, the width of the road – 4 meters. The simulated soil volume is 34 x 14 meters, the soil type – medium-coarse sandy loam. It was modeled that after one year Mn concentration in the soil, close to gravel road remains 1,3 times less than background value (at a constant Mn emission in the environment). Moving away from driveway till 10–15 meters the concentration of Mn decrease to 200 mg/kg in the soil depth of 0,5 m. After 10 years this concentration will reach 1 meter depth. Bet there would be no changes of Mn concentration in the groundwater level.

Zinc as a nutrition element is required to plants in small quantities to maintain normal functions of metabolism mechanisms. Our work analyses the efficiency of red clovers “Arimaičiai” for cleaning zinc from the soil contaminated with zinc under laboratory conditions. Seeds were sown in three differently polluted soils: clean soil, once contaminated with zinc and periodically contaminated with zinc soil. Zinc concentration in one time contaminated soil was 45 mg/kg. After 6 months of phytoremediation, the remained zinc concentration in the soil was 3 times lower comparing with the initial concentration. It was also determined that under such conditions, the uptake of red clovers made approximately 65% of zinc. Permanent soil contamination with zinc increased concentration before phytoremediation up to 80 mg/kg. After 6 months of phytoremediation, zinc concentration was determined to be 1.9 times lower. Otherwise, the soil was permanently contaminated with larger zinc quantities and after application of which reached 300 mg/kg. In this case, following half a year of phytoremediation, zinc concentration in the soil was 1.7 times lower comparing with the initial concentration after contamination. It was determined that the uptake of red clovers made approximately 17% of zinc.

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