Monitoring and analysis of selenium as an emerging contaminant in mining industry: A critical review

Abstract

Selenium is an indispensable trace element for humans, however, its release at high concentrations becomes a major concern for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems due to its bioaccumulation potential. Mining and metal-mineral processing are among the main sources of selenium released into the environment. Excessive levels of selenium may induce toxicity in human as selenosis, in grazing animals as alkali disease and in aquatic organisms as larval and developmental deformities and mortality. Due to the introduction of new policies for Se monitoring in the mining industry mainly setting the guidelines for selenium level in freshwaters as recommended by the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment and Environment and climate change Canada, an improved understanding of Se occurrence, mobility, bioavailability and treatment technologies for efficient removal is timely and required. In this context, this review updated the understanding of mining-related selenium occurrence in surface water, soil and plant, with a focus on its mobility and bioavailability. Selenium uptake, translocation, accumulation, and metabolism in plants are further presented. Selenium monitoring and treatment is the key to adopt the corrective measures to mitigate highly contaminated effluent and to minimize the associated adverse health effects. Future research directions and recommendations for selenium analysis and treatment processes are also discussed.