In this paper, we evaluated the distribution of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn and Fe) in the topsoil and plants collected from an area contaminated by mine tailings from SW Romania (Ocna de Fier). Soils and plants samples collected were analyzed using a Varian Spectra AAS. The results indicated that the soils affected by mining activities contain the high concentrations of phytotoxic metals. At the same time, our study showed that spontaneous plant species growing on contaminated sites may have the potential for phytoremediation.

Heavy metal pollution of agricultural soils is a major environmental problem that can affect agriculture, food quality and human health. samples from vineyard soils in locations (Tirol and Moldova Noua) situated in the Caras-Severin County, Romania, and corresponding samples of Vitis vinifera were analysed for the following heavy metals contents: Mn, cu, Fe, Zn, Pb, ni, Cr(VI) and Cd. The concentration of heavy metals was measured using a flame atomic absorption spectrometer, in conventionally cultivated soils from vineyards and in aerial parts of Vitis vinifera. the average content of heavy metals in soils from the tirol vineyard decreased in the order: Fe > Mn > cu > Zn > Pb > ni > cr > cd, and in the case of private vineyards from Moldova Noua area, in the following order: Fe ≈ Mn > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cr >Cd. The average content of heavy metals in aerial parts of vines (Vitis vinifera) samples decreases in this way: Fe > Zn > Mn > Pb > Cu > Ni > Cd > Cr (Tirol) and Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Ni > Pb > Cd > Cr (Moldova Noua area).The metal accumulation in aerial tissue of Vitis vinifera was established by transfer factor. surprisingly, the transfer factor is higher in the tirol vineyard than in Moldova Noua area. these results indicate that the bioavailability of Vitis vinifera to heavy metals depends on other factors besides the metal concentration of heavy metals in soil.

Nowadays, barren and inert fly ash deposits result from power plants operating on fossil coal and occupy large areas of land. They change the landscape, altering ecosystems and dispersing pollutants by precipitations and deflations. On the other hand, from wastewater treatment results sludge waste (biosolids) rich in nutrients. Biosolids are fertilizers with many nutrients and could be recycled to improve soil productivity and stimulate plant growth. A solution was found for the capitalization of two wastes - biosolids and fly ash, both resulting in the same city, Timisoara, Romania. The use of biosolids in fly ash fertilization provides rapid efficiency in topsoil for plant growth. Plant species were chosen considering the possibilities to restrict the metal access in plants, i.e. Lolium perenne species, with reduced harvest, recycled as fodder or, on the contrary, to stimulate accumulation of metals i.e. Onobrychis viciifolia species, with increased harvest, but potentially toxic biomass, processes evidenced by a specific parameter, the coefficient of translocation. Pilot experiments was done in four versions, each in three replicates in a randomized block. The treatment were control and fertilized variant fot each plant species. The new crop installed presents characteristics depending on plant species: with accumulation of metals, i.e. Cr, Cu, Ni, in the shoots, such as in leguminous Onobrychis viciifolia species, resulting vegetation with waste regime. with smaller accumulations of heavy metals, such of grass Lolium perenne, with recycling possibilities in agro-zoo technical field.

The study presents experimental data on phytostabilization/ phytoremediation of 5.57% total petroleum hydrocarbons contaminated soils, using plants of the Achillea millefolium species. Studies have been conducted on pots placed in outdoors in three experimental variants in the absence/presence of an additional treatment: 1. Contaminated soil; 2. Contaminated soil treated with fertilizer agent, stabilized sewage sludge; 3. Contaminated soil treated with fertilizer and amendment based on indigenous volcanic tuff with clinoptilolite. After five months of growth the plant roots have formed a strong twinned network throughout the vegetation soils of volume pots. The content reduction of the total petroleum products in the contaminated soil was 45.4% and 65.4% for the variant of contaminated soil treated with fertilizer agents, anaerobically stabilized sewage sludge from the municipal treatment plant in the absence/presence of the amendment with indigenous volcanic tuff. Soil polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons does not reduce the total content of phenols and antioxidant capacity of Achillea millefolium crop; rather it can be boosted when the soil is treated with stabilized sewage sludge and indigenous volcanic tuff.

Due to his nature, durability and intensity the mining-metallurgical activities were and still are pollutant. The soil pollution is the cumulative effect of mining wasted deposits. The 31.5 ha waste dump is situated on the North, North-West of a town. The cinder yard is on the left flank of a valley and the South district of a town; between quota +223.40 m watermark and quota +282.09 m at the baseboard of the cinder yard. The ground has 5-70 inclination; the deposits are 10-50 m thick and 50 m high. The waste dump contains 5.974.580 t ironworks residues.

No more cinder was deposited on the dumb starting with 2004. The environmental balance indicates an overflow of heavy metals admitted in soil that shown a major possible pollution. The wastes mining-metallurgical deposits are a continuous pollution source for environment and human habitat. The physical pollution is manifested through the increase of air-floated and sedimentary powders atmosphere content while the chemical pollution is due to the content of the dumper ash in chemical compounds. The surface water, groundwater, soil, vegetation and the leaving area are the pollution receiver. Also, there is the danger of the West and North flank to debris-slide, the last one with the blocking-up of the river bottom.

Oil is composed of organic compounds with varied molecular structure; in water suppress the respiration of plants and animals, and have toxicity effects on flora and fauna. An important pretreatment step for the water containing oil is coagulation with optimal dose of coagulant such as polyaluminum chloride (PAC). The addition of coagulating aids had reduced the PAC optimal dose for by 25-50%. The UV analysis of the treated/untreated water showed significant preferential adsorption for total petroleum hydrocarbons at 254 nm wavelength (A254) and the correlation of this parameter with conventional control parameters - total organic carbon (TOC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD).

The predominant organisms of the sludge determined the efficiency of the biological treatment with a high organic load in the plant. The alteration of activated sludge health determined the destruction of granular flocks and the forming of filamentous structures because of the filamentous bacteria or some fungi multiplication. The filamentous structure determines the swelling of the sludge and reduction of its capacity to decompose organic matter. Swelling of the sludge is determined by the dominance of bacteria belongings Zooglea genus which secrets abundant extracellular material with high degree of hydration. The most practical solution to revive the activated sludge in an excess aeration, which leads to a higher oxygen content. To stimulate the microbial activity the biodegradable organic carbon compounds were supplemented. Molasses addition provides a high input of biodegradable organic carbon, which is necessary when BOD5 is low and the ammonium quantity is high.

Heavy metal toxicity has become a large concern for Serbia, due to the contamination of soil and water streams from Borski Mining Area. Plants and the associated soil samples collected from polluted and unpolluted sites, from Borski Mining Area, were analyzed for Cu and Zn, using a simultaneous inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer produced by Spectro model Ciros Vision. The selected native plants were Tussilago farfara L., Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth., Phragmites australis (Cav.) Steud., Urtica dioica L., Petasites hybridus (L.) P. Gaertn., B. Mey et Scherb., Sambucus nigra L., Typha latifolia L., Salix cinerea L., Juncus effusus L., and Mentha longifolia L. Bioconcentration Factor (BCF) showed that Petasites hybridus, Tussilago farfara, Urtica dioica and Mentha longifolia can be used for phytoremediation of contaminated soils.

The fl ash contains average amounts of heavy metals: chromium (85 mg/kg dry matter (dm)), copper (62–67 mg/kg dm), nickel (50 mg/kg dm), lead (12–14 mg/kg dm), zinc (5–85 mg/kg dm) and iron (4.600–4.700 mg/kg dm). The municipal sludge compost added as fertilizer contains sufficient quantities of nutrients, which is enough material to increase the degree of plants germination and subsequent coverage of soils in common barley crop (Hordeum vulgare). three experimental variants have been used in barley crop: fl ash (variant I), fl ash together with 50 t/ ha compost (variant II) and fl ash with 150 t/ha compost (variant III). The addition of compost did not reduce the accumulation of chromium in barley straw but reduced its accumulation in grains. In the case of iron, the addition of compost has reduced the accumulation, both in grain and straw. The addition of 150 t/ha compost reduced heavy metals bioaccumulation of grain, and straw, each with 70%. The implementation of a strategy to cover the fl ash deposits with a vegetable coating of common barley crops can be easily and efficiently done through the use of fertilizers as sewage sludge compost and vegetable scraps from a vineyard.

The wastewater containing TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbons), can not be discharged untreated due to the toxic loading. These substances are potential sources of contamination of soil and water. Primary treatments of these waste waters require a coagulation stage. The classical coagulation agents reduce turbidity and partially, the dissolved substances content. In this study, optimized coagulation process was obtained through the use of metal salts and bioflocculants. Use of chitosan-Al-compounds has reduced by more than 50% of the dose for Al salts and has produced effective reduction of petroleum products by up to 10% higher.