Research on Contaminated Soils from Baia Mare Area and their Remediation by In Situ Bio-Leaching Technique

Abstract

The mining activity and the activities related to non-ferrous metallurgy, which were practiced in the Baia Mare, led to the pollution of large areas of land and adversely affected the environment, while they were representing a risk to human health. In the first part of the paper, the physical and chemical properties of soil and the content of metals (copper, lead and zinc) in the soil samples are presented. The effectiveness of the in situ bio-leaching technique applied to the soil polluted with heavy metals, is presented in the second part of this study.