Acta Scientiarum Polonorum

The largest group of recipients of the drinking water from groundwater in Ukraine are resides in the western
part of the country. Due to the presence of zones in which the water-resistant rocks are subject to cracking in
the hydrogeological regions of the Western Ukraine, the physicochemical composition of water is not constant
and may vary, especially in terms of heavy metals content. The reasons for the presence of heavy metals
in the groundwater are the anthropogenic influence and biological leaching of mineral ores. Heavy metals
can migrate up and down and penetrate the aquifers of drinking water through the cracked zones of the waterresistant
rocks. The mineral ores found in the Western Ukraine contain heavy metals, mainly as sulfides. They
are oxidized by thionic bacteria (рН 5–7). As a result, the concentration of sulfate in water increases. At the
same time, in the Western Ukraine, natural materials containing aluminosilicates such as zeolites, tuffs, basalts
and others are widely distributed. They can be used as sorbents in the process of groundwater treatment.
When using aluminosilicates, the removal efficiency is higher than in the case of traditionally used slacked
lime (Ca(OH)2) due to the fact that heavy metals are extracted by means of two mechanisms – ion exchange
and formation of insoluble bases.