Abstract
Mine tailings from an abandoned metal mine in Korea contained high concentrations of arsenic (As) and heavy metals [e.g., As: 67,336, Fe: 137,180, Cu: 764, Pb: 3,572, and Zn: 12,420 (mg/kg)]. US EPA method 6010 was an effective method for analyzing total arsenic and heavy metals concentrations. Arsenic in the mine tailings showed a high residual fraction of 89% by a sequential extraction. In Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and Korean Standard Leaching Test (KSLT), leaching concentrations of arsenic and heavy metals were very low [e.g., As (mg/L): 0.4 for TCLP and 0.2 for KSLT; cf. As criteria (mg/L): 5.0 for TCLP and 1.5 for KSLT].
Highlights
Mining operations generally produce many types of mine wastes, including mine tailings, waste rock and slag
The value of loss on ignition (LOI), which indicates the proportion of total organic matters, was 9.3% and organic carbon content among all organic matters was 3.9%
The high concentration of sulfate indicates that the oxidation of sulfide minerals had occurred in the mine tailings, so that sulfate had been produced
Summary
Mining operations generally produce many types of mine wastes, including mine tailings, waste rock and slag. Mine tailings out of those, in particular, act as a main source of environmental contamination [1]. Arsenic (As) and heavy metals may be released from the mine wastes to the ground. Res. Public Health 2009, 6 and surface water systems, as well as the geological environment due to their solubility and mobility [2]
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