Eco-risks, lability and bioavailability of copper and zinc in soils of the Soimonov Valley, Karabash

Mineral mining and processing exerts a destructive effect on the environment and presents a great global problem in terms of soil pollution with heavy metals. The Ural is one of the largest industrial regions. One of the most acute ecological situations exists in the Soimonov Valley at the town of Karabash in the Chelyabinsk Region. In the course of the research, soil profile cuts were made at different spacing and at a distance from the industrial center, for the subsequent sampling of soil with a view to determining spatial distribution of copper and zinc, rate of pollution and potential ecological risks. The research revealed high concentrations of copper and zinc in soils, higher than the geochemical background by 50 and 20 times, with the maximal concentrations of 1599.0 and 2532.0 mg/kg, respectively. The sizing analysis of metals in soils shows that copper and zinc are mainly connected with organic matter and with Fe/Mn oxides. The calculated values of the rate of enrichment point at a very high extent of soil pollution with copper and zinc, which brings very high ecological risks. The data on the mobility factor denote a very high rate of lability and bioavailability both for copper and zinc. These studies can be useful for the updating of the geochemical background for copper and zinc, and also for the development of the procedures aimed at the minimization of the environmental pressure generated by local mining activities. 

Shabanov M. V., Marichev M. S., Kirichkov M. V., Tsitsuashvili V. S., Mandzhieva S. S. Eco-risks, lability and bioavailability of copper and zinc in soils of the Soimonov Valley, Karabash. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2026;(2):112-127. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2026_2_0_112.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. 21-77-20089) in Южном федеральном университете.

M.V. Shabanov¹, Cand. Sci. (Agr.), Assistant Professor, Assistant Professor, e-mail: geohim.spb@gmail.com, Scopus Author ID: 35171489500, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4725-3673,
M.S. Marichev¹, Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Head of Laboratory, e-mail: m.s.marichev@yandex.ru, Scopus Author ID: 57216298057, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0429-2234,
M.V. Kirichkov², Cand. Sci. (Phys. Mathem.), Junior Researcher, e-mail: mikhail.kirichkov@gmail.com, Scopus Author ID: 57200126460,
V.S. Tsitsuashvili², Researcher, e-mail: tvs@sfedu.ru, Scopus Author ID: 57192911478, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0113-7549,
S.S. Mandzhieva², Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Chief Researcher, e-mail: msaglara@sfedu.ru, Scopus Author ID: 24481495200, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6000-2209,
¹ Saint-Petersburg State Agrarian University, 196607, Pushkin, Russia,
² Southern Federal University, 344006, Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

M.S. Marichev, e-mail: m.s.marichev@yandex.ru.

1. Masindi V., Muedi K. L. Environmental contamination by heavy metals. Heavy Metals. 2018, pp. 115—132. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.76082.

2. Fryer M., Collins C. D., Ferrier H., Colvile R. N., Nieuwenhuijsen M. J. Human exposure modelling for chemical risk assessment: a review of current approaches and research and policy implications.Environmental Science Policy. 2006, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 261—274. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2005.11.011.

3. Girault F., Perrier F., Poitou C., Isambert A., Théveniaut H., Laperche V., Clozel-Leloup B., Douay F. Effective radium concentration in topsoils contaminated by lead and zinc smelters. Science Total Environmental. 2016, vol. 566—567, pp. 865—876. DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2016.05.007.

4. Belogub E. V., Udachin V. N., Korablev V. V. Karabashskiy rudniy rayon (Yuzhniy Ural) [Karabashsky ore district (Southern Urals)], Miass, 2003, 40 p.

5. Shabanov M. V., Marichev M. S. The nature of the change of acid-base properties of soils in the zone of technogenesis (on the example of the Krasnoural’skiy industrial center). News of the Ural State Mining University. 2018, no. 1(49), pp. 55—61. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.21440/2307-2091-2018-1-55-61.

6. Williamson B. J., Purvis O. W., Mikhailova I., Udachin V. SEM-EDX analysis in the source apportionment of particulate matter on Hypogymnia physodes lichen transplants around the Cu smelter and former mining town of Karabash, South Urals, Russia. The Science of the Total Environment. 2004, vol. 322, no. 1-3, pp. 139—154. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2003.09.021.

7. Tatsiy Y. G., Udachin V. N., Aminov P. G. Ecogeochemistry of mercury in the zone of the Karabashmed smelter emissions. Geochemistry. 2017, no. 10, pp. 942—953. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.7868/S0016752517100090.

8. Kulikova E. Yu., Balovtsev S. V., Skopintseva O. V. Geoecological monitoring during mining operations. Sustainable Development of Mountain Territories. 2024, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 580—588. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.21177/1998-4502-2024-16-2-580-588.

9. Kříbek B., Nyambe I., Majer V., Knésl I., Mihaljevič M., Ettler V., Vaněk A., Penížek V., Sracek O. Soil contamination near the Kabwe Pb-Zn smelter in Zambia: environmental impacts and remediation measures proposal. Journal of Geochemical Exploration. 2019, vol. 197, pp. 159—173. DOI: 10.1016/j.gexplo.2018.11.018.

10. Liu Y., Dong J., Zhang N., Wang H. Characteristics, source apportionment, and health risk assessment of pollution of heavy metals in plant foliar dust: characterization of atmospheric heavy metal pollution. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 2025, vol. 47, article 361. DOI: 10.1007/s10653-025-02660-0.

11. Salih Z. R., Khudhur N. S., Aziz F. H. Comparison of dust and surface soil heavy metals and some element contents in erbil city as a sign of environmental pollution. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2025, vol. 197, article 331. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-025-13763-7.

12. Bradl H. B. Adsorption of heavy metal ions on soils and soils constituents. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. 2004, vol. 277, pp. 1—18.

13. Zinovieva O. M., Kolesnikova L. A., Merkulova A. M., Smirnova N. A. Environmental risk management at mining enterprises. Ugol'. 2022, no. 3, pp. 76—80. DOI: 10.18796/0041-5790-2022-3-76-80. [In Russ].

14. Mirzaeva E. N., Isaeva N. F., Yalgashev E. Ya., Turdiyeva D. P., Boymonov R. M. Preparation of adsorbents for the extraction of heavy metals from mining wastewater. Mining Science and Technology (Russia). 2025, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 45—55. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.17073/2500-0632-2024-02-224.

15. Kulikova E. Yu., Sergeeva Ju. A. Conceptual model for minimizing the risk of water pollution in the Kemerovo region. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2020, no. 6-1, pp. 107—118. DOI: [In Russ]. 10.25018/0236-1493-2020-61-0-107-118.

16. Kachinskiy N. A. Mekhanicheskiy i mikroagregatniy sostav pochvy, metody ego izucheniya [Mechanical and microaggregate composition of soil, methods of its study], 1958, 192 p.

17. Tessier A., Campbell P. G. O., Bisson M. Sequential extraction procedure for the speciation of the particulate trace metals. Analytical Chemistry. 1979, vol. 51, pp. 844—851.

18. Sutherland R. Bed sediment-associated trace metals in an urban stream, Oahu, Hawaii. Environmental Geology. 2000, vol. 39, pp. 611—627. DOI: 10.1007/s002540050473.

19. Fei X., Lou Z., Xiao R., Lv X., Christakos G. Contamination and health risk assessment of heavy metal pollution in soils developed from different soil parent materials. Exposure and Health. 2023, vol. 15, pp. 395—408. DOI: 10.1007/s12403-022-00498-w.

20. Cao Y., Wang R., Liu Y., Li Y., Jia L., Yang Q., Zeng X., Li X., Wang Q., Wang R., Riaz L. Improved calculations of heavy metal toxicity coefficients for evaluating potential ecological risk in sediments based on seven major chinese water systems. Toxics. 2023, vol. 11, no. 8, article 650. DOI: 10.3390/toxics11080650.

21. Salbu B., Kreling T., Oughton D. H. Characterization of radioactive particles in the environment. Analyst. 1998, vol. 123, pp. 843—849.

22. Shabanov M. V., Marichev M. S., Mangiyeva S. S., Sokolov A. A. Chemozem formation under conditions of prolong exposure to aero-industrial emissions from a mining and smelting plant. Sustainable Development of Mountain Territories. 2023, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 727—740. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.21177/1998-4502-2023-15-3-727-740.

23. Anfilogov V. N., Kabanova L. Y., Ryzhkov V. M., Korekina M. A. Geological structure of the Karabash ore district (Southern Urals). Litosfera. 2020, no. 20(5), pp. 682—689. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.24930/1681-9004-2020-20-5-682-689.

24. Shabanov M. V., Marichev M. S., Minkina T. M., Abdimutalip N. A. The role of the mining and processing enterprise in the formation of techno-geochemical anomalies of arsenic in the soils of the Soymonovskaya Valley (Southern Urals). Sustainable Development of Mountain Territories. 2022, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 632—643. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.21177/1998-4502-2022-14-4-632-643.

25. Cachada A., Dias A. C., Pato P., Mieiro C., Rocha-Santos T., Pereira M. E., Ferreira da Silva E., Duarte A. C. Major inputs and mobility of potentially toxic elements contamination in urban areas. Environ Monit Assess. 2013, vol. 185, no. 1, pp. 279—94. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-012-2553-9.

26. Fiedler H. J., Rösler H. J. Spurenelemente in der Umwelt, Ferdinand Enke Verlag, Stuttgart. 1988, 278 p.

27. Rudnic R. L., Gao S. Composition of the continental crust. Treatise on Geochemistry, 2003, vol. 3, pp. 1—64. DOI: 10.1016/B0-08-043751-6/03016-4.

28. Li J., He M., Han W., Gu Y. Availability and mobility of heavy metal fractions related to the characteristics of the coastal soils developed from alluvial deposits. Environ Monit Assess. 2009, vol. 158, pp. 459—469. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-008-0596-8.

29. McBride M. B. Environmental chemistry of soils. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 1994, 406 p.

30. Putilina V. S., Galitskaya I. V., Yuganova T. I. Adsorbtsiya tyazhelykh metallov pochvami i gornymi porodami. Kharakteristiki sorbenta, usloviya, parametry i mekhanizmy adsorbtsii: analiticheskiy obzor [Adsorption of heavy metals by soils and rocks. Sorbent characteristics, conditions, parameters and mechanisms of adsorption: an analytical review], Novosibirsk, 2009, 155 p.

31. Lăcătuşu R., Lăcătuşu A-R., Lungu M., Breabăn I-G. Macroand microelements abundance in some urban soil from Romania. Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences. 2008, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 75—83.

32. Girotto E., Ceretta C. A., Brunetto G., Santos D. R., Silva L. S., Lourenzi C. R., Lorensini F., Vieira R. C. B., Schmatz R. Acúmulo e formas de cobre e zinco no solo após aplicações sucessivas de dejeto líquido de suínos. Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, Viçosa. 2010, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 955—965. DOI: 10.1590/s0100-06832010000300037.

33. Alloway B. J. Heavy metals in soils: Trace metals and metalloids in soils and their bioavailabi-lity. Springer Science & Business Media. 2012, vol. 22, рр. 11—50. DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-4470-7_2.

34. Taati A., Salehi M. H., Mohammadi J., Mohajer R., Díez S. Pollution assessment and spatial distribution of trace elements in soils of Arak industrial area, Iran: Implications for human health. Environmental Research. 2020, vol. 187, article 109577. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109577.

35. Swain C. K. Environmental pollution indices: a review on concentration of heavy metals in air, water, and soil near industrialization and urbanization. Discover Environment. 2024, vol. 2, article 5. DOI: 10.1007/s44274-024-00030-8.