20.500.12556/DiRROS-29516 Environmental pollution load and contaminant transfer in Natura 2000 protected brownfield site Revitalisation of contaminated brownfield sites is essential for sustainable development, particularly near sensitive ecological areas like Natura 2000 sites. The lagoon in Slovenia’s Regional Park Šturmovci, an artificial wastewater convergence point created during hydroelectric construction, is a highly relevant example. This study integrates geochemical, mineralogical and isotopic analyses to identify sources and controlling mechanisms of contaminant distribution in lagoon sediments and assess their transfer to nearby agricultural soils during flooding events. Results indicate anaerobic conditions, with depth-related shifts in phosphorus, sulphur and redox-sensitive elements, such as rare earth elements (REE), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and vanadium (V), as well as fluctuations in pyrite-rich laminated layers, suggesting potential flood-driven remobilisation of trace elements. Lagoon sediments are highly contaminated with As (73 mg kg−1), Ba (247 mg kg−1), Pb (97 mg kg−1) and Zn (1118 mg kg−1), with elevated concentrations also observed in agricultural soil, all exceeding respective limit values of 20, 160, 85 and 200 mg kg−1. Pollutant concentrations were highest near wastewater inflows and decreased with distance, with nitrogen isotopic patterns indicating partial nitrification and surface ammonium accumulation, reflecting intensive agricultural inputs in the area. High enrichment factor (EF > 20) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo > 3) values, in particular for As, Cd and Zn, indicated severe contamination and highlighted the urgent need for effective remediation strategies, including immobilisation using biochar or cement-based binders, as well as phytoremediation approaches. brownfield Natura 2000 pollution revitalisation ecological status degradirano območje Natura 2000 onesnaženje revitalizacija ekološko stanje true false true MDPI AG Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2026 by the authors Neznano 2026-05-22 11:07:23 2026-05-22 11:11:59 2026-05-23 04:01:47 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 str. 1-18 issue 4, [article no.] 427 Vol. 16 Apr. 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-04-21 543 2075-163X 10.3390/min16040427 276227843 https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/16/4/427 1 a6c9ebea-55bd-11f1-8a5a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=44296 RAZ_Ilenic_Anja_2026.pdf RAZ_Ilenic_Anja_2026.pdf 1 31FFCECE3A1CE78DD6E95867BF5DDF67 56082628d3a4468fa1ea7809ca2a09a6e6dd0156ec79bf94b943bb9933b64a17 3887a50e-55be-11f1-8a5a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=44297 Zavod za gradbeništvo Slovenije 0 0 0