Assessing ecotoxicological effects of a multicomponent anti-icing reagent based on the liquid waste from soda ash production

Severodonetsk-Lysychansk agglomeration (Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine) is an industrially developed region with a large amount of the accumulated industrial liquid waste, which, due to the poor condition of storage facilities, significantly affects the quality of surface and groundwater, i.e., sources of household drinking water supply.To reduce the man-made load, this waste must be processed with subsequent reclamation of storage.The liquid phase of sludge storage of soda produced by OJSC "Lysychansk Soda" is proposed for use as an anti-icing reagent.This work is devoted to assessing the environmental impact of such a multicomponent anti-icing reagent when used on the motor roads of the region.The liquid waste contains inorganic salts, mainly chlorides, sulfates, and carbonates of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and ammonium, as well as heavy metals Mn, Sn, Zn, and As in trace amounts.The environmental impact of such a liquid depends mainly on the local landscape features (type of soil, vegetation cover) and meteorological conditions (quantity of seasonal precipitation, the required application rate of reagents).We conducted an analysis of the dilution of the anti-icing reagent by winter precipitation and determined the expected concentrations of chloride ions as the main factor of danger on the roadside and in groundwater of sandy soil of the region with the recommended application rate in the studied region.To assess the biological toxicity of the multicomponent mixture, test systems widely used for rapid screening were chosen.During short-term testing of Daphnia magna S., the semi-lethal and the lowest ineffective dilution factors of the liquid were determined, and the phytotoxicity of the liquid was assessed as the dilution factor resulting in a 10% inhibition of the growth of the root system of Allium cepa L. We found that the dilution factor of distillery wastewater for safe use should be within 260 130, and the maximum permissible application rate of the reagent is from 5 to 9 times, which is usually quite sufficient in the climatic conditions of Luhansk Oblast.Thus, the anti-icing agent can be offered for use on the motor roads of the region in compliance with the recommended application rate.