Geochemical Behavior of Heavy Metals in Soils and Waters from Mining Sites

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2023) | Viewed by 2876

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Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Av. Pádua Dias 11, Piracicaba 13418-900, SP, Brazil
Interests: heavy metals in soils; soil geochemistry
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Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP), Av. Pádua Dias 11, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13418-900, Brazil
Interests: soil geochemistry; land reclamation; technosols
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CRETUS, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, School of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: environmental geochemistry; soil and water degradation and recovery
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Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: environmental chemistry; soil science; organic compounds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mining industry is one of the most important economic activities for many countries. However, mining activities (e.g., prospecting, exploration, operation), expansion, and abandonment may have several environmental impacts. Among these impacts, soil and water contamination by heavy metals in mining sites and the surrounding ecosystems have been widely reported. Accordingly, the main heavy metal sources from mining activities are metal-rich tailings, which may be spread in the environment by disasters or improper disposals.

The fate of heavy metals within soil and water systems depends on the environmental geochemistry (e.g., pH, redox potential, ion concentration, organic matter content, plant activity). In soil and water, a high concentration of heavy metals may cause pollution, enter trophic chains, and lead to the animal mortality and threats to human health.

Therefore, understanding the geochemical behavior of heavy metals in the soil and water affected by mining activities is a key step for the environment, including both the monitoring and development of greener mine technologies.

Dr. Hermano Melo Queiroz
Prof. Dr. Tiago Ferreira
Dr. Xosé Lois Otero-Pérez
Prof. Dr. Juan Antelo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • environmental contamination
  • mine soils
  • soil contamination
  • abandoned mine sites
  • groundwater contamination
  • trace elements
  • human health
  • environmental geochemistry
  • water pollution
  • remediation techniques
  • phytoremediation
  • tailings
  • waste production
  • anthropogenic soils

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 9630 KiB  
Article
Trace Metal Enrichment in the Colloidal Fraction in Soils Developing on Abandoned Mine Spoils
by Md Abu Raihan Chowdhury and David M. Singer
Minerals 2022, 12(10), 1290; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12101290 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2101
Abstract
The release of colloid-bound trace metals from abandoned coal mine spoils can potentially be a significant source of contamination during weathering. We examined the size-dependent enrichment of trace metals in mine spoil samples using centrifugation and acid extraction to compare metal loading in [...] Read more.
The release of colloid-bound trace metals from abandoned coal mine spoils can potentially be a significant source of contamination during weathering. We examined the size-dependent enrichment of trace metals in mine spoil samples using centrifugation and acid extraction to compare metal loading in the bulk and colloid fractions. A combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and focused ion beam (FIB) sectioning of selected colloids for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses was used to determine the morphology and elemental and mineral composition at the micro- and nanoscales. In contrast to bulk soils, primary Fe-sulfides (up to 11%) and secondary Fe(III)-bearing phases (up to 5%) were a significant portion of the colloid mineralogy. Secondary Fe-(hydro)oxides and (hydroxy)sulfates were enriched with Mn, Ni, Cu, and Zn, and these metals showed stronger correlations with Fe in the colloid fraction (R2 of 0.58, 0.77, 0.94, and 0.81, respectively) than in the bulk fraction (R2 of 0.40, 0.09, 0.84, and 0.62, respectively), indicating that Fe-bearing colloids are likely major trace-metal-bearing phases. The results from this study will help to design better remediation projects for abandoned mine spoils to better account for a potentially underappreciated mode of contaminant transport. Full article
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