Geogenic and anthropogenic interactions at a former Sb mine: environmental impacts of As and Sb
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Geogenic and anthropogenic interactions at a former Sb mine: environmental impacts of As and Sb Lenka Mbadugha
. Duncan Cowper . Sapar Dossanov . Graeme I. Paton
Received: 18 October 2019 / Accepted: 24 June 2020 Ó The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Mining activities are acknowledged to introduce contaminants into localised environments and cause wider spread diffuse pollution. The concentration, distribution and fate of arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) were studied at the former metalliferous Louisa Mine at Glendinning, Scotland. Soils and surface water were sampled and subsequently analysed to map the distribution of contamination and identify pollution sources. The maximum concentrations of As and Sb of 15,490 and 1504.2 mg kg-1, respectively, were determined in soils associated with the ore processing area and spoil heaps. The fractions of dissolved As and Sb in soils were \ 1 and \ 5% of total soil content, respectively, confirming findings of previous studies that As and Sb are relatively immobile. Yet, the concentrations of As and Sb released by soils exceeded regulatory limits. Concentrations of As and Sb in surface water in the immediate vicinity of the mine were impacted by a gully discharge, but rapidly diluted. While the concentrations affected by the run-off waters did not exceed EU environmental standards for freshwater, the concentrations of both, As and Sb, sharply increased above the said environmental standards approximately 100 m downstream of
L. Mbadugha (&) D. Cowper S. Dossanov G. I. Paton School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, Scotland, UK e-mail: [email protected]
the mine site. The unaltered As-to-Sb ratio in water samples suggests a geogenic source. While there is a justifiable concern about the soil pollution caused by the historic mining in the area, the Glenshanna Burn is affected more by indigenous geochemical processes than the derelict mine. Keywords Arsenic Antimony Abandoned mine Contamination Pollution Risk assessment
Introduction Arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) are potentially toxic elements (PTEs) ubiquitously present in the environment (Wilson et al. 2010). They often occur together and enter the environment through natural geogenic processes, such as volcanic emissions or mineral weathering (Tan et al. 2018). Although the natural sources account for the majority of elevated As and Sb concentrations in the environment, anthropogenic activities, such as mining operations, metal processing, agriculture and the combustion of fossil fuels, can be locally important (Fei et al. 2017; Hiller et al. 2012). Antimony mining, in particular, has been recognised as a major anthropogenic source of As and Sb contamination (Borcˇinova´ Radkova´ et al., 2020; Mu¨ller et al. 2007; Warnken et al. 2017; Zhang
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Environ Geochem Health
et al. 2018), not only due to current activities, but also due to the legacy of contaminated sites. Dereli
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