Selenium fractionation and speciation in rocks, soils, waters and plants in polluted surface mine environment

Abstract

A fractionation and speciation was performed to determine the distribution of selenium (Se) species in major components of quartzite surface mine environment (rocks, mine tailings, soils, stream sediments, surface waters and plants) in Sobov, Slovakia. A three-step sequential extraction procedure was utilised for the fractionation of Se in mine tailings and soils. The first extractant in order to evaluate the soluble and ligand exchangeable fraction of Se (0.1 mol/l K2HPO4 + KH2PO4 at pH 7.0) solubilized up to 15% of total Se content. The second step (0.1 mol/l K2S2O8 at 90°C) which extracted Se associated or occluded with organic matter released 13 – 45% of total selenium. The decomposition of the residue (HNO3 + H2SO4 1+1) was used to solubilize the remaining 35–88% of total Se as the final step. The recovery of the procedure was between 97 and 106%. Selenate predominated in natural river and lake waters about pH 7.0 (>95%) but in acid mine leakings up to 40% of selenite was found. In the plants (birch leaves, grass leaves and roots) collected from the area acidified by mine leakings no significant accumulation of selenium was observed. The correlation between total Se and S in the rocks from the mine gives an evidence of the common origin of these elements in the studied area.