ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Industrial waste landfills are a significant source of contamination of the surface and groundwater in their storage area. Contamination of the hydrosphere is mainly a consequence of the formation of a highly mineralised leachate. This paper presents the impact of an industrial waste landfill on the contamination of the Lipinka River. This river receives the leachate from a landfill of metallurgical slag resulting from the processing (smelting) of zinc-lead ores (Zn-Pb). The leachate is characterised by a high electrolytic conductivity (K25 – 7644 µS/cm) and a high concentration of heavy metals (Zn – 8.1 mg/L; Cd – 0.062 mg/L; Pb – 0.015 mg/L; Cu – 0.015 mg/L). The supply of the leachate into the river contaminates its waters with heavy metals. It has been observed that the movement of the contaminated water through the reservoir covered with willow moss (Fontinalis antipyretica) has a significant impact on the removal of zinc and cadmium from the water. There has been a significant decrease in the concentration of zinc and cadmium as well as a reduction of the load of metals. The removal of zinc in the reservoir ranged from 54 to 81%, while the removal of cadmium ranged from 64 to 90%. The research has indicated that willow moss can be used in the treatment of hydrophytic industrial wastewater.
