A STUDY ON THE IMPACTS OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTION ON SOIL PROPERTIES IN DANYANG REGION

Heavy metal pollution does not only influence the ecological environment, but also has great impact on the properties of the soil, which will result in great changes in the structure and mechanical properties of the soil, and ultimately affect the implementation of human engineering construction directly. The subsoil with severe heavy metal pollution in the surrounding area of HuiTeng Chemical Co.,Ltd. is selected for study in this paper, by comparing the nature of the soil, such as the microstructure, pore distribution, mineral composition, pH value, et al.,and the mechanical properties of the soil, i.e. the compression coefficient, cohesive force, internal friction angle and uniaxial shear strength of soil mass, et al.,before and after the heavy metal pollution, the impacts of heavy metal pollution on soil properties have been analyzed. The results of the study show that heavy metal pollution has resulted in the change of soil structure. There is no significant change in the mineral composition of the soil; the soil porosity is reduced, and the soil is denser; though the soil compactness increased, the uniaxial shear strength of the soil is significantly reduced after the pollution, and the shear strength is reduced by 10%~35%. The compression amount of soil before and after pollution is quite different, and the soil compressibility is reduced.