Evaluation of the impact of reducing national emissions of SO2 and metals in Poland on background pollution using a bioindication method

Abstract

Changes in environmental pollution by S, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in 2006–2014 were evaluated using a bioindication method. This method was based on measurements of pollutants in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needles. The measurements were performed in the Chojnowskie Forests, a region recognized as a background area for central Poland. The changes in the contents of sulfur (S) and metals in needles were not comparable with the changes in the global emissions of the pollutants in Poland. On average, the pollution level in the study area decreased by 9.9% for S, 61.4% for Pb, 22.5% for Cd, 11.7% for Zn and 10.4% for Cu. During the same period, global emissions in Poland decreased by 38.1% for S, 8.0% for Pb, 63.2% for Cd, 11.7% for Zn and 14.0% for Cu. Therefore, the differences in the changes in emissions and the needle contents of each element should be examined separately which was not a goal of this study. However, the discrepancy between these results did not prevent the use of bioindication methods. Evaluation of pollutant contents in plants reflected their incorporation in biological processes rather than air or soil pollution levels.

Metals in pine needles: characterisation of bio-indicators depending on species

“…Conifer needles are considered worldwide as passive samplers of organic (Herceg Romanić and Krauthacker 2007) as well as of inorganic pollutants in air quality monitoring (Bertolotti and Gialanella 2014), even if they seem less efficient than mosses (Čeburnis and Steinnes 2000). Different working groups in Europe and Asia (Yilmaz and Zengin 2004;Sardans and Peñuelas 2005;Tausz et al 2005;Al-Alawi and Mandiwana 2007;Lehndorff and Schwark 2010;Sun et al 2010;Pietrzykowski et al 2014;Skonieczna et al 2014;Dmuchowski et al 2018) have studied heavy metal concentrations in pine needles from different species for assessment investigations. Their results vary over a wide range.…”

Drivers of anthropogenic air emissions in Nigeria - A review

“…Oxides of sulphur are majorly emitted from combustion of sulphur rich fuels such as refined petroleum products ( Sonibare, 2010 ). They are also emitted from combustion activities involving gas flares ( Giwa et al., 2019a ) and in the extraction process (smelting) of iron from its ores such as pyrites ( Runkel and Sturm, 2009 ; Faruq et al., 2012 ; Jain et al., 2016 ; Dmuchowski et al., 2018 ). The two sources mentioned above are essentially oxidation – reduction reactions where oxygen oxidizes the sulphur in the fuel or ore to release sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) as shown in Eqs.…”

Sulfur Contamination and Environmental Effects: A Case Study of Current SO2 Industrial Emission by Biomonitoring and Regional Post-mining hot-spots

“…Mosses and lichens are also commonly used in biomonitoring due to their lack of roots (compared to higher plants), meaning that they collect pollution predominantly from the air [35]. The main advantage of using trees in biomonitoring is their longevity, thereby enabling a systematic repetition of the investigation using standardized sampling and analytical techniques for comparative monitoring [14]. Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) are frequently used in the bioindication of SOx air pollution [36,37].…”

“…Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) are frequently used in the bioindication of SOx air pollution [36,37]. The measuring of air pollution (including sulfur and heavy metals concentrations) using bioindication, and more precisely pine needles as bioindicators, was recommended by the United Nations Environmental Program as a standard environmental assessment method [14]. Also, other institutions such as ICP-Forests, State Environmental Monitoring use and recommend plant bioindicator as an alternative to (the more expensive) technical monitoring methods [35].…”

“…It is estimated that anthropogenic sources account for more than 70% of global SO 2 emissions, half of which result from fossil-fuel combustion-particularly hard coal and lignite, which typically consist of 1.0-3.0% sulfur in the form of pyrites and marcasites. Additionally, S contamination results from petroleum refining, the smelting of sulfidic ores in the production of heavy metals, and the production of sulfuric acid, paper, and sulfur [6,12,14,15]. SO 2 -responsible air pollution may well be one of the most significant factors behind forest decline in the northern hemisphere [8].…”