This document summarizes a study on the speciation of heavy metals in soil and tailings samples from the abandoned Sidi Bou Othmane zinc-lead mine in Morocco. Total metal concentrations and sequential extractions were performed to determine the chemical forms and potential mobility of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. The tailings had much higher metal levels than the surrounding soils. Most soils near the mine exceeded thresholds for zinc, lead and cadmium, indicating high pollution. The study aimed to evaluate the contamination risk posed by the abandoned mine wastes.
IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of applied chemistry and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in Chemical Science. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of applied chemistry and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in Chemical Science. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solutions by Modified Activated Carbon f...inventionjournals
International Journal of Engineering and Science Invention (IJESI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of computer science and electronics. IJESI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Engineering Science and Technology, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of applied chemistry and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in Chemical Science. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of applied chemistry and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in Chemical Science. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solutions by Modified Activated Carbon f...inventionjournals
International Journal of Engineering and Science Invention (IJESI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of computer science and electronics. IJESI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Engineering Science and Technology, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
Biomarker Geochemistry of Nkporo Shale from Ndi-Owerre in the Afikpo Basin, S...Premier Publishers
Biomarker analysis was conducted on shale samples belonging to the Cretaceous Nkporo sediments of the Afikpo Basin in southeastern Nigeria to determine the distribution of n-alkanes, pristane and phytane ratios (Pr/Ph), odd-over-even preference (OEP), carbon preference index (CPI), transformation ratios. These parameters revealed the source, depositional conditions and maturity of the organic matter. Ts/Ts + Tm values of 0.9 to 0.12 and moretane/hopane ratio of 0.33 to 0.35 indicate shales are thermally immature to marginally mature. The presence of long-chain aliphatics (C19-35) in the shale matrix suggests shale can atleastgenerate oil and gas. Data show high Pristane/Phytane (Pr/Ph) values and preeminence of intermediate molecular weight n-alkanes (nC12 - nC33). The predominance of Pr against Ph suggests humic, toxic to dysaerobic organic matter origin. Distributed n-alkane patterns of gas chromatograms are non-unimodal with varying peaks. They show maximal between nC12 - nC33 with no remarkable protrusion, indicating slight or no organic matter alteration. The prevalence of OEP values (0.23 -2.10) and CPI values ranging from 1.09 and 1.61 with average oxygen indexes of 53.33mgHC/gTOC suggests donation from mostly terrestrial organic matter poor in hydroxl groups.
About the Interaction between water and Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn, Ba Mineralize...QUESTJOURNAL
ABSTRACT: One of the most important environmental concerns at mining sites is acid mine drainage (DAM), which is formed by the exposure sulfide minerals to air and water. The consequent production of sulfuric acid reduces the quality of water bodies and may allow the solubilization of potentially toxic metals such as Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn and Al. There is a range of laboratory procedures, classified as static and kinetic. Which have been used to understand the acidification and neutralization potencies of a rock through water/rock interaction process. These procedures seek to describe, quantify and predict the compositional changes of the solid and liquid phases in natural systems. The choice of techniques, methods, procedures and protocols requires the understanding of the problem to be solved or mitigated and is related to the specific geochemical and geological characteristics of the site to be analyzed. The elaboration of experimental procedures involves sampling strategies, selection of methodologies, (Accuracy, precision, sensitivity, speed, cost) and thus equipment and other necessary materials. This work presents the main static and kinetic procedures, highlighting its principles, advantages and limitations for selection and application in carbonate rocks rich in sulphide minerals. PH, Acid-Base Accounting and Net Acid Generation (NAG) are the static methods chosen. While the kinetic procedures chosen for the study of the natural enrichment of toxic metals in sulfate carbonate rocks is leaching columns, the Soxhlet system and reaction reactors. To provide more consistent drainage forecasts and hence better plans for the management of The results of different methods should be analyzed together.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) is an open access online peer reviewed international journal that publishes research and review articles in the fields of Computer Science, Neural Networks, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Plastic Engineering, Food Technology, Textile Engineering, Nano Technology & science, Power Electronics, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computational mathematics, Image processing, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Environmental Engineering, VLSI Testing & Low Power VLSI Design etc.
A Study of Application of Tracers in Groundwater HydrologyAJSERJournal
Laboratory study was carried out to investigate the effect of acidic and alkaline characteristics of
groundwater medium on three tracers (rhodamine B, eosin and potassium dichromate) commonly used for
groundwater investigations. This is with the view to improving the criterion used in the selection of tracers for
groundwater investigations. The factors considered are: the maximum tracer concentration, Cmax, which could be
observed during the experiment, the time, tm, at which this occurs and the percentage of the tracer recovered during
experiment. Others are the time, ti, of first detection of the tracer and time, tf, of total disappearance of tracer from the
investigation area.A lysimeter apparatus of circular cross section with diameter, D = 45 mm was constructed and
uniformly filled with coarse sand and fine gravel (each at a time). Throughout the column, steady water discharge (2.5
ml/min) at a pH value between the ranges of 5 – 8 was maintained, to carry the tracer solution through the soil column.
Effluent from the bottom of the lysimeter were subjected to spectrometric analysis to determine tracer concentration..
The results suggest that rhodamine B is a suitable tracer for groundwater investigation in acidic medium but may not
be suitable for alkaline medium. Values obtained for eosin showed the tracer to be good for investigation in both acidic
and alkaline medium,while potassium dichromate as a tracer may be a good tracer in alkaline medium only.
3 ijhaf nov-2017-6-study of the macronutrient elementsAI Publications
In the current research has been followed the impact of six fertilizer products on the content of macronutrient elements (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in the soil during a vegetation and after harvesting of the grain-leguminous crop soybean. The experiment is brought out on a training-experimental field of Department „Plant Production“ to Technical university – Varna with variety PR91M10 as per the generally accepted methods for specifying the content of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen, mobile phosphates, absorbable potassium and pH. The agrochemical analyses show that after bringing in of MAP are established higher values of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen in the soil during vegetation of the soybean, while after its harvesting the highest content of ammonium nitrogen is reported in the variant, which has been fertilized with NPK, and of nitrate – with urea. Regardless of the used fertilizer product, after the harvesting of the soybean has been reported lower content of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen. At usage of MAP has been established higher content of mobile phosphates in the soil during vegetation of the soybean and after its harvesting, as the differences between MAP and the rest variants are statistically reliable. The values of phosphorus in the soil after collecting of the soybean are higher in four of the experimental plots, as at the variants, which have been fertilized with fertilizers, containing phosphorus (MAP, DAP and NPK) the difference is more substantial. The statistical analysis has not established proof of the differences between the variants as per content of absorbable potassium in the soil. The tendency is analogous as the exposed at the mobile phosphates, something more, in all variants of the experiment the values after harvesting are higher than the reported during vegetation.
About 20 topsoil samples collected from different locations of Gazipur industrial area were analyzed
to specify the elements by XRF. Soil pH, moisture content, organic carbon, organic matter, elements were
investigated by following proper procedure to find out the actual scenario of the soil status. Most soil samples
pH is tend to neutral which is most favorable for up taking nutrients. Moisture Content, Organic Carbon and
Organic Matter are enriched in the soil for plant growth. Speciation analysis are showing concentration trend
as Al>Fe>K>Mg>Ca>Rb>Mn>Si>P. Most of the elements are used as fertilizer for soil nutrient supplement
and also used as raw material in process industries. Though they are required for improving soil quality excess
amount is also harmful for soil biota. Soil chemical reaction with the surroundingis largely controlled by the
components present in soil matrix. Multivariate statistical analysis e.g: hierarchical cluster analysis showing 2
main clusters in the soil matrix which components are similar in characteristics or source.Group 1 and 2
formed by following different factors like common sources, attraction of the elements, similarity in
characteristics. Correlation matrix is exhibiting significant positive relationship among the components.
Different components have distinct positive relation with distinct components which differ from each other.
Principal component analysis denotes 3 principal components for composing soil matrix significantly.
Soil quality in the vicinity of palm oil mills in Umuahia, NigeriaPremier Publishers
The study focused on the effect of the palm oil mill effluent (POME) on the physico-chemical parameters of agricultural soil within Umuahia. The soil samples were collected from the areas where the POME was discharged. The following parameters were analyzed: particle size, organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, exchangeable cations (Na, K, Ca, Mg), electrical conductivity. Digested samples were also analyzed for heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu) using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results of the physico-chemical analysis showed that the discharge of POME onto the soil causes the degradation of soil physico-chemical properties and increase heavy metal contamination.
International Journal of Engineering and Science Invention (IJESI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of computer science and electronics. IJESI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Engineering Science and Technology, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
Biomarker Geochemistry of Nkporo Shale from Ndi-Owerre in the Afikpo Basin, S...Premier Publishers
Biomarker analysis was conducted on shale samples belonging to the Cretaceous Nkporo sediments of the Afikpo Basin in southeastern Nigeria to determine the distribution of n-alkanes, pristane and phytane ratios (Pr/Ph), odd-over-even preference (OEP), carbon preference index (CPI), transformation ratios. These parameters revealed the source, depositional conditions and maturity of the organic matter. Ts/Ts + Tm values of 0.9 to 0.12 and moretane/hopane ratio of 0.33 to 0.35 indicate shales are thermally immature to marginally mature. The presence of long-chain aliphatics (C19-35) in the shale matrix suggests shale can atleastgenerate oil and gas. Data show high Pristane/Phytane (Pr/Ph) values and preeminence of intermediate molecular weight n-alkanes (nC12 - nC33). The predominance of Pr against Ph suggests humic, toxic to dysaerobic organic matter origin. Distributed n-alkane patterns of gas chromatograms are non-unimodal with varying peaks. They show maximal between nC12 - nC33 with no remarkable protrusion, indicating slight or no organic matter alteration. The prevalence of OEP values (0.23 -2.10) and CPI values ranging from 1.09 and 1.61 with average oxygen indexes of 53.33mgHC/gTOC suggests donation from mostly terrestrial organic matter poor in hydroxl groups.
About the Interaction between water and Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn, Ba Mineralize...QUESTJOURNAL
ABSTRACT: One of the most important environmental concerns at mining sites is acid mine drainage (DAM), which is formed by the exposure sulfide minerals to air and water. The consequent production of sulfuric acid reduces the quality of water bodies and may allow the solubilization of potentially toxic metals such as Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn and Al. There is a range of laboratory procedures, classified as static and kinetic. Which have been used to understand the acidification and neutralization potencies of a rock through water/rock interaction process. These procedures seek to describe, quantify and predict the compositional changes of the solid and liquid phases in natural systems. The choice of techniques, methods, procedures and protocols requires the understanding of the problem to be solved or mitigated and is related to the specific geochemical and geological characteristics of the site to be analyzed. The elaboration of experimental procedures involves sampling strategies, selection of methodologies, (Accuracy, precision, sensitivity, speed, cost) and thus equipment and other necessary materials. This work presents the main static and kinetic procedures, highlighting its principles, advantages and limitations for selection and application in carbonate rocks rich in sulphide minerals. PH, Acid-Base Accounting and Net Acid Generation (NAG) are the static methods chosen. While the kinetic procedures chosen for the study of the natural enrichment of toxic metals in sulfate carbonate rocks is leaching columns, the Soxhlet system and reaction reactors. To provide more consistent drainage forecasts and hence better plans for the management of The results of different methods should be analyzed together.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications (IJERA) is an open access online peer reviewed international journal that publishes research and review articles in the fields of Computer Science, Neural Networks, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Plastic Engineering, Food Technology, Textile Engineering, Nano Technology & science, Power Electronics, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computational mathematics, Image processing, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Environmental Engineering, VLSI Testing & Low Power VLSI Design etc.
A Study of Application of Tracers in Groundwater HydrologyAJSERJournal
Laboratory study was carried out to investigate the effect of acidic and alkaline characteristics of
groundwater medium on three tracers (rhodamine B, eosin and potassium dichromate) commonly used for
groundwater investigations. This is with the view to improving the criterion used in the selection of tracers for
groundwater investigations. The factors considered are: the maximum tracer concentration, Cmax, which could be
observed during the experiment, the time, tm, at which this occurs and the percentage of the tracer recovered during
experiment. Others are the time, ti, of first detection of the tracer and time, tf, of total disappearance of tracer from the
investigation area.A lysimeter apparatus of circular cross section with diameter, D = 45 mm was constructed and
uniformly filled with coarse sand and fine gravel (each at a time). Throughout the column, steady water discharge (2.5
ml/min) at a pH value between the ranges of 5 – 8 was maintained, to carry the tracer solution through the soil column.
Effluent from the bottom of the lysimeter were subjected to spectrometric analysis to determine tracer concentration..
The results suggest that rhodamine B is a suitable tracer for groundwater investigation in acidic medium but may not
be suitable for alkaline medium. Values obtained for eosin showed the tracer to be good for investigation in both acidic
and alkaline medium,while potassium dichromate as a tracer may be a good tracer in alkaline medium only.
3 ijhaf nov-2017-6-study of the macronutrient elementsAI Publications
In the current research has been followed the impact of six fertilizer products on the content of macronutrient elements (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) in the soil during a vegetation and after harvesting of the grain-leguminous crop soybean. The experiment is brought out on a training-experimental field of Department „Plant Production“ to Technical university – Varna with variety PR91M10 as per the generally accepted methods for specifying the content of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen, mobile phosphates, absorbable potassium and pH. The agrochemical analyses show that after bringing in of MAP are established higher values of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen in the soil during vegetation of the soybean, while after its harvesting the highest content of ammonium nitrogen is reported in the variant, which has been fertilized with NPK, and of nitrate – with urea. Regardless of the used fertilizer product, after the harvesting of the soybean has been reported lower content of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen. At usage of MAP has been established higher content of mobile phosphates in the soil during vegetation of the soybean and after its harvesting, as the differences between MAP and the rest variants are statistically reliable. The values of phosphorus in the soil after collecting of the soybean are higher in four of the experimental plots, as at the variants, which have been fertilized with fertilizers, containing phosphorus (MAP, DAP and NPK) the difference is more substantial. The statistical analysis has not established proof of the differences between the variants as per content of absorbable potassium in the soil. The tendency is analogous as the exposed at the mobile phosphates, something more, in all variants of the experiment the values after harvesting are higher than the reported during vegetation.
About 20 topsoil samples collected from different locations of Gazipur industrial area were analyzed
to specify the elements by XRF. Soil pH, moisture content, organic carbon, organic matter, elements were
investigated by following proper procedure to find out the actual scenario of the soil status. Most soil samples
pH is tend to neutral which is most favorable for up taking nutrients. Moisture Content, Organic Carbon and
Organic Matter are enriched in the soil for plant growth. Speciation analysis are showing concentration trend
as Al>Fe>K>Mg>Ca>Rb>Mn>Si>P. Most of the elements are used as fertilizer for soil nutrient supplement
and also used as raw material in process industries. Though they are required for improving soil quality excess
amount is also harmful for soil biota. Soil chemical reaction with the surroundingis largely controlled by the
components present in soil matrix. Multivariate statistical analysis e.g: hierarchical cluster analysis showing 2
main clusters in the soil matrix which components are similar in characteristics or source.Group 1 and 2
formed by following different factors like common sources, attraction of the elements, similarity in
characteristics. Correlation matrix is exhibiting significant positive relationship among the components.
Different components have distinct positive relation with distinct components which differ from each other.
Principal component analysis denotes 3 principal components for composing soil matrix significantly.
Soil quality in the vicinity of palm oil mills in Umuahia, NigeriaPremier Publishers
The study focused on the effect of the palm oil mill effluent (POME) on the physico-chemical parameters of agricultural soil within Umuahia. The soil samples were collected from the areas where the POME was discharged. The following parameters were analyzed: particle size, organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, exchangeable cations (Na, K, Ca, Mg), electrical conductivity. Digested samples were also analyzed for heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu) using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results of the physico-chemical analysis showed that the discharge of POME onto the soil causes the degradation of soil physico-chemical properties and increase heavy metal contamination.
International Journal of Engineering and Science Invention (IJESI) is an international journal intended for professionals and researchers in all fields of computer science and electronics. IJESI publishes research articles and reviews within the whole field Engineering Science and Technology, new teaching methods, assessment, validation and the impact of new technologies and it will continue to provide information on the latest trends and developments in this ever-expanding subject. The publications of papers are selected through double peer reviewed to ensure originality, relevance, and readability. The articles published in our journal can be accessed online.
The International Journal of Engineering & Science is aimed at providing a platform for researchers, engineers, scientists, or educators to publish their original research results, to exchange new ideas, to disseminate information in innovative designs, engineering experiences and technological skills. It is also the Journal's objective to promote engineering and technology education. All papers submitted to the Journal will be blind peer-reviewed. Only original articles will be published.
The papers for publication in The International Journal of Engineering& Science are selected through rigorous peer reviews to ensure originality, timeliness, relevance, and readability.
IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) is an open access international journal that provides rapid publication (within a month) of articles in all areas of applied chemistry and its applications. The journal welcomes publications of high quality papers on theoretical developments and practical applications in Chemical Science. Original research papers, state-of-the-art reviews, and high quality technical notes are invited for publications.
Distribution and mobility of lead and zinc atmospheric depositions in industr...INFOGAIN PUBLICATION
Heavy metal contamination is a severe environmental problem. Knowledge of the total heavy metals contents of soils is a necessary step for making an accurate appraisal and quantitative evaluation of the extent of contamination, indeed, wet and dry atmospheric deposits, plays an important role in the cycle of semi-volatile contaminants [1]. Metallurgical industries release heavy metals into the atmosphere, these last, clump together to form fines particles suspended in the air, these metals can be transported by wind via aerosol or aqueous pathway and deposited in the soil. The main aim of this work was to study the mobility and fate of lead and zinc from atmospheric deposits in contaminated soil from the foundry (ALFET) in industrial zone of Tiaret (Western Algeria) and to determine the effect of physicochemical parameters of the soil on their mobility in the topsoil. Physicochemical analysis of 35 soil samples have shown that zinc and lead levels contents in the surface layer soil (0-30 cm) vary depending on the pH, total limestone (CaCO3) and the soil water content. Results clearly show that soil texture and fine fraction (clay and sand) significantly influence mobility of Pb and Zn in soil.
The Influence of Vermiculite on the Uptake of Silver Nanoparticles in a Terre...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
— The uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles in soil was investigated in the presence of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite, typical 2:1 clay. Two insect species, Acheta domesticus and Tenebrio molitor, and two plant species, Helianthus annuus and Sorghum vulgare, were exposed to silver nanoparticles in the presence of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite in soil. Silver nanoparticles were characterized using techniques including transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and powder X-ray diffraction. The levels of silver in test species exposed to silver nanoparticles were measured using an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. An increase in the cation exchange capacity of soil was observed with the increase in the concentration of vermiculite in soil. The results suggested a decrease in the uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles in soil by Acheta domesticus as a function of increasing concentrations of Vermiculite in soil. No apparent trend was observed in the remaining species. Both plant species were found to accumulate silver in their roots. The translocation of silver to stems and leaves was observed in the case of Helianthus annuus. Results from this study suggest that the presence of Vermiculite in soil could possibly decrease the uptake of silver from silver nanoparticles.
The Impacts of Cement Dust Deposits on Soil Available MicronutrientsEditor IJCATR
The impact of cement dust deposits on soils micronutrient around Ashaka cement factory, Nigeria was evaluated by
determining available micronutrient elements in 68 soil samples and some crop plant stalks using acid extraction and atomic absorption
spectrophotometric methods. Soil samples collected in a radius of 6Km from a 0 – 30cm depth and analysed indicated mean
concentrations of 215.30gKg-1 Fe, 7.96 gKg-1 Zn, 0.33 gKg-1 Cu, 80.79 gKg-1 Mn, 2.05 gKg-1 Ni, and 26.91 gKg-1 Co. The concentration
of each element in the soil varies in a decreasing order with increasing distance away from the cement factory and generally occurring
above background levels (Zn, Mn, Ni). The metals in the crop plants were higher than normal levels with sorghum concentrating more
metals than millet, suggesting a reflection of the soil metal concentrations and this might be due to the presence of available mobile
elements and the slightly acidic nature of the soil outside the factory
Iron acquisition and mineral transformation by cyanobacteria living in extrem...Sérgio Sacani
Iron is an essential micronutrient for most living organisms, including cyanobacteria. These microorganisms have
been found in Earth's driest polar and non-polar deserts, including the Atacama Desert, Chile. Iron-containing
minerals were identified in colonized rock substrates from the Atacama Desert, however, the interactions be-
tween microorganisms and iron minerals remain unclear. In the current study, we determined that colonized
gypsum rocks collected from the Atacama Desert contained both magnetite and hematite phases. A cyanobacteria
isolate was cultured on substrates consisting of gypsum with embedded magnetite nanoparticles. Transmission
electron microscopy imaging revealed a significant reduction in the size of magnetite nanoparticles due to their
dissolution, which occurred around the microbial biofilms. Concurrently, hematite was detected, likely from the
oxidation of the magnetite nanoparticles. Higher cell counts and production of siderophores were observed in
cultures with magnetite nanoparticles suggesting that cyanobacteria were actively acquiring iron from the
magnetite nanoparticles. Magnetite dissolution and iron acquisition by the cyanobacteria was further confirmed
using large bulk magnetite crystals, uncovering a survival strategy of cyanobacteria in these extreme
environments.
Evaluation of Heavy Metals in Soil and Plants along Mubi-Gombi Highway, Adama...Premier Publishers
The concentrations of some selected heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Fe, Mg and Co) along Mubi- Gombi highway were analysed. Samples of roadside soil and plants were randomly collected from six (6) towns; these include Mubi, Mararaba, Makera, Kala’a, Hong and Gombi. Subsequently the concentrations of the following heavy metals Cd, Pb, Fe, Mg and Co in the samples were analyzed using Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) . Three samples were taken at each sampling point at a distance of 5 m, 10 m and 15 m from the edge inward. The result revealed that Cd, Pb, Fe, Mg and Co were present in the soil and plant samples. The mean concentration ranged from Cd(0.02±0.01 – 1.50 ±0.11 mg/ kg) Pb(0.02±0.01 – 2.70±0.20 mg/ kg), Co(0.13±0.02 – 0.84±0.06mg/ kg), Fe( 243.80±16.4 – 311.74±22.8mg/ kg) and Mg(1.75±0.03 – 2.35±0.06mg/ kg) in the soil samples. While the mean concentration in plants leaves samples ranged from Cd (0.01±0.00 – 0.04±0.02mg/ kg), Pd( 0.17±0.04 – 0.82±0.10mg/ kg), Co(0.20±0.03 – 0.88±0.88mg/ kg), Fe( 41.56±3.21 - 85.12±5.48mg/ kg) and Mg(2.11±0.18 - 2.32±0.07mg/ kg) . The concentration of Pb,Fe and Co exceeded the permissible limit of WHO. While the concentration of Cd and Mg were found to be within WHO limit. The high levels of Pb, Fe and Co indicate the potential health risk for human. The high level of these metals might be due to anthropogenic activities. However, the values of these metals decreased with increasing distance from the road inward. Also, significant difference in heavy metal concentrations among the sampling locations at p<0.05 level both in soil and plant were observed. Therefore, economic plants should not be planted along the highway to avoid heavy metal contamination.
Study of the Sediments Metallic Contamination in Oum Er-Rbia EstuaryIOSRJAC
This work fits in the framework of a program of study and monitoring of the Impact of natural and anthropogenic Factors on the quality of surface waters of the river Oum Er-Rabia (Morocco); it focuses on the analysis and evaluation of the metal contamination of the sediments of this stream using an index of contamination (IC) and the index of polymetallic contamination (ICP). The spatial and temporal variations of the sediment content in Fe, Mn, Cd, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr and Co reveal the presence of an important metal contamination, dominated mostly by Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn and Co however at the level of the mouth where the metal concentrations are very low. From this fact situation does not pose a concern for the ecosystem in the vicinity of the downstream of the estuary, this finding is related can be the size and the fraction of the mouthpiece sediments.
Metals accumulation and As releasing during interaction of clay and iron mine...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
Abstract— The soil and sediment samples with different content of metals and clay minerals were investigated during bioleaching. The increasing of clay and metal concentrations with decreasing particle size were found both in contaminated soil and sediment. Heterotrophic bioleaching of the iron rich clay fractions from the soil and the sediment were evaluated for his effectiveness in the cycling of iron bound As by consuming organic nutrients. The treatment involved the use of the indigenous bacteria, whose activity was combined with the chelating strength of EDDS, SDS, Na4P2O7 and fertilizers. Heterotrophic bacteria caused decomposition of iron binding deposition as is adsorption on clay with followed dissolving of Fe mainly by the sediment bioleaching. The concentration of iron decreased by precipitation with As sorption after 19 days of sediment bioleaching. The Cu and Zn extraction was inhibited by bioleaching during the iron and arsenic dissolution and precipitation. By contrast, the additives 3mM Cu and 3mM Zn were applied into medium and thus affected the activity of soil resistant heterotrophic bacteria with followed increasing of the iron and arsenic extraction by the soil clay bioleaching. Therefore, this study confirmed the soil and sediment bioleaching in Fe or As releasing efficiency under different conditions regulated by indigenous bacteria. The bioleaching can be a suitable technology for As removal from the untreated soil and sediment by stimulation of the resistant bacteria activity. The separation of clays from the soil and sediment samples did not decreased of toxic element limits because clay and iron minerals coated on coarse silicate particles and the clay fraction is bearers of metals which contaminate the soil and sediment environment.
1 a chemometric approach for the distribution and source identification of he...BIOLOGICAL FORUM
ABSTRACT: Heavy metals in the environment may reach to toxic levels to humans and animals due to tannery effluents, but there is insufficient information about heavy metals pollution and distribution by tanneries. The distribution and sources of heavy metals in soils of Challawa industrial estate area were evaluated using multivariate statistical analysis after determining metals concentrations by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The results of the Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis suggested that variation in heavy metals concentrations are largely related to tannery operations. The Linear Discriminant Analysis revealed that soils around the tanneries and dumpsites are having high contents of Cr, Pb, and Zn. The metal concentrations showed significant difference (P < 0.05) between tannery and control soil samples. This confirmed the contamination of soils with toxic heavy metals at specific sites of the tanneries, and indicated the need to monitor and remediate to safeguard the environment.
The Primary Source of Mercury in the Subsoil and Environmental Impacts AJASTJournal
The paper aims to figure out the primary source of mercury in the subsoil and environmental impacts.
By using descriptive method for primary model, synthesis methods and process analysis and analysis of difficulties and discussion, The study of this problem point that, The primary source of mercury in the subsoil is considered to be deep exhalations coming from with the activation of deep processes - geothermal, eruptive, etc., and its intensive rocks enriched with organic matter become an accumulator in the sedimentary cover -carbonaceous formations and soil layer. It is from the latter that she again enters biocycle with a new stage of intravital accumulation in plant and animal organisms in the greater the amount, the higher its content in the environment. Moreover, it is also observed.
Similar to Speciation of heavy metals in the soil and the tailings, in the zinc lead sidi bou othmane abandoned mine (20)
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonDianaGray10
Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
Speakers:
Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
Charlie Greenberg, Host
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaRTTS
Watch this recorded webinar about real-time monitoring of application performance. See how to integrate Apache JMeter, the open-source leader in performance testing, with InfluxDB, the open-source time-series database, and Grafana, the open-source analytics and visualization application.
In this webinar, we will review the benefits of leveraging InfluxDB and Grafana when executing load tests and demonstrate how these tools are used to visualize performance metrics.
Length: 30 minutes
Session Overview
-------------------------------------------
During this webinar, we will cover the following topics while demonstrating the integrations of JMeter, InfluxDB and Grafana:
- What out-of-the-box solutions are available for real-time monitoring JMeter tests?
- What are the benefits of integrating InfluxDB and Grafana into the load testing stack?
- Which features are provided by Grafana?
- Demonstration of InfluxDB and Grafana using a practice web application
To view the webinar recording, go to:
https://www.rttsweb.com/jmeter-integration-webinar
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and Grafana
Speciation of heavy metals in the soil and the tailings, in the zinc lead sidi bou othmane abandoned mine
1. Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online)
Vol. 3, No.8, 2013
138
Speciation of Heavy Metals in the Soil and the Tailings, in the
Zinc-Lead Sidi Bou Othmane Abandoned Mine
(Marrakech, Morocco)
Mouhsine ESSHAIMI1, 2
, Naaila OUAZZANI1
,2
, Abdelhay EL GHARMALI1
, Fatima BERREKHIS3
,
Manuel VALIENTE4
and Laila MANDI* 1,2
• 1: Laboratoire d’Hydrobiologie, Ecotoxicologie et Assainissement (Unité associée au CNRST ,
• URAC 33), Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech,Maroc
• 2: National Centre for Studies and Research on Water and Energy, University Cadi Ayyad,
• B.P.511, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco
• 3: Equipe de Physico-chimie des Matériaux, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université Cadi Ayyad
• B.P. 2400, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco
• 4: Unit of Analytical Chemistry , Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University
Autonomous of Barcelona, , Barcelona, Spain
• * E-mail of the corresponding author: mandi@uca.ma
This work was supported by: PC2E (Pôle of competences on Water and Environment), AECID Project No.
A/011433/07 «Estudio de la Movilidad de metales pesados en suelos contaminados» and the European project
SOWAEUMED (Network in Solid Waste and Water Treatment between Europe and Mediterranean Countries,
contract N° 245843).
Abstract
Mining activity is one of the most important sources of Heavy metals in the environment. In Marrakech region,
functioning or abandoned mines represent a great hazard due to huge amounts of waste deposited in waste
dumps and tailings often with high concentration of heavy metals pollution. These mining sites located near
Marrakesh contain tailings abandoned for ten to twenty years. The present study was realized for the abandoned
mine of Sidi Bou Othmane in order: i) -To determine the total content of heavy metal in soil and Tailings, ii)-To
carry out the chemical speciation, of heavy metals in the Tailing and in the samples of soil collected in the
vicinity of the mine. The pH, the electrical conductivity, Organic matter content and total carbonate content in
all the samples (soil and Tailings) were measured using the standards methods, heavy metals concentration was
determined by ICP-MS. Therefore, a sequential extraction scheme according to the BCR’s (Community Bureau
of Reference) guidelines and total acid digestion were applied to soil and Tailings samples. The results obtained
showed that the abandoned mine of Sidi Bou Othmane still containing very important quantities of solid waste,
these site can become potential source of pollution by releasing heavy metals. In this concern, 4 polluting heavy
metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) were detected with concentrations exceeding those admitted for agricultural soil. For
all heavy metals, the most contaminated sites were found in the vicinity of the mine, probably linked to
weathering effect, the wind and the topography.
Keywords: Soil, tailings, heavy metals, sequential extraction, speciation.
1. Introduction
Mining and milling operations, together with grinding, concentrating ores and disposal of tailings, provide
obvious sources of contamination in the surface environment, along with mine and mill waste water (Adriano
1986). As a result, elevated levels of heavy metals can be found in and around disused metalliferous mines due
to discharge and dispersion of mine wastes into nearby agricultural soils, food crops and stream systems.
Eventually, they may pose a potential health risk to residents in the vicinity of mining areas. Southern Morocco
has a large number of metalliferous sites and has been considered as a traditional mining region since antiquity.
Nowadays, it is estimated that there are still large reserves of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), silver (Ag) and
lead (Pb) in the area. Both active and abandoned mines present a risk of contamination of soils, plants,
groundwater and surface water by dissemination of the particles carrying metals by wind action and/or by runoff
from the tailings. High mining activity can be found in Marrakech region where functioning or abandoned mines
represent a great hazard due to huge of high amounts of heavy metals. In this concern, few studies have been
done in this area to determine the concentration of heavy metals in the mining residues and their impact on
surrounding soil and water resources (El Gharmali et al. 2004; El Adnani et al. 2007; Esshaimi et al. 2012).
The total metal concentration obtained after a strong acid digestion does not provide sufficient information of its
potential hazardous effects on environment because the mobility and eco-toxicity of heavy metals depend
strongly on their specific chemical forms or binding. Consequently, these are the parameters that have to be
2. Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online)
Vol. 3, No.8, 2013
139
determined, rather than the total element contents, in order to assess toxic effects (Fuentes et al. 2004; Wang et
al.2006). If heavy metals exist as loosely bound fractions such as soluble, exchangeable and adsorbed forms,
they tend to be easily moved and dispersed. However, metals associated with organic ligands or in crystal lattices
are not easily separated or mobilized. To determine the speciation of heavy metals, various methods have been
developed over the last two decades involving both single and sequential extraction schemes .Although some
methods have been widely used, none has been unreservedly accepted by the scientific community. For this
reason the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) in 1987 began a programme to harmonize the methodology
in the sequential extraction schemes used for determining metals in a variety of matrices, including lake, lagoon
and marine sediments, sewage sludge, soil and industrially contaminated made-up ground (Sahuquillo et al. 1999;
Fuentes et al. 2004). The aim of this study was to determine total heavy metals contents and their chemical
fractions in the mining residues and in the samples of soil collected in the vicinity of The Pb-Zn abandoned mine
of Sidi Bou Othmane.
2. Materials and methods
2.1 Description of the site investigated
The abandoned Sidi Bou Othmane mine is localized at 30 km in the north of Marrakech, in the region of the
Haouz district (Jbilets- Centrales) in southern Morocco (figure 1). Sidi Bou Othmane mine is located close to a
rural district and surrounded by agricultural lands Their exploitation started on 1953, treating 115 tons per day of
mineral (0.5% Pb,7.4% Zn and 6% pyrite) by flotation processes until its closure on 1980.
2.2 Sampling description
In order to assess the impact of the abandoned mine residues on the surrounding soils, a total of 9 samples of
soils were collected in the vicinity of the mine (One sample was obtained by mixing 10 elementary samples
collected on the sector) and 3 representative background samples at 1 km from the mining site in order to avoid
mining contamination. Samples were taken from the upper 20 cm after removing the first layer of surface soil (2
cm). The sampling of the tailings was carried out in 4 tailings reservoirs by using a specially designed cylindrical
stainless steel corer, the average sample of each tailings reservoir is considered after mixture of the various sub-
samples. After collection, the soil and tailing samples were carefully transferred to clean and dry self-sealing
polyethylene bags and transported to laboratory. After being air-dried in paper lined propylene trays at room
temperature and disaggregated with a wooden roller, all samples were sieved through (<2mm or <100 µm) sieve.
The tailings samples from each zone were thoroughly mixed and homogenized by coning and quartering. Finally
the soil and tailings samples were stored at 4°C in tightly sealed polyethylene bags until its analysis. Due to the
strong association and affinity of heavy metals with fine grained soil components, we used the <100 µm soil
fraction for the sequential extraction and total acid digestion methods (Pickering 1986; Murray et al. 1999;
Cuong and Obbard 2006).The <2 mm soil fraction was used to determine the pH, electrical conductivity (EC),
Organic matter content (OM) and carbonate.
2.3 Sample analysis
The physical-chemical characterization consisted in the determination of the soil and the tailings pH, electrical
conductivity (EC), organic matter content (OM) and the carbonate content of the samples according to standard
methods (Aubert 1978). Total heavy metal concentration was determined by ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled
Plasma Mass Spectrometer -Thermo Scientific XSERIES 2 ICP-MS, Franklyn, MA, USA) after digestion of the
samples. The methodology followed for the digestion consisted in weighting 0.5 g dry sample in a PTFE
digestion vessel and adding 3 mL HNO3 (70%), 6 mL HCl (37%) and 3 mL HF (48%). The digestion vessel was
placed in the chamber of the microwave system (CEM MARS 5, Matthews, USA). After digestion, the sample
solution was allowed to air-cool and then diluted with deionized water. The optimized BCR sequential extraction
procedure was applied to assess heavy metal fractionation in the samples (<100 µm fraction). This method was
described in detail elsewhere (Plassard et al. 2000).The sequential extraction was performed using the three-step
procedure recommended by BCR. Additionally, a fourth step was added, which consisted of dissolving the final
residue using the same digestion procedure for the total metal determination. The method details are presented in
Table 1.
Step one: Acid soluble/exchangeable fraction (F1). A 40 mL volume of 0.11 M acetic acid was added to 1 g of
dried soil or tailing sample. The mixture was shaken for 16 h at room temperature (approx. 21°C) on a mechanic
shaker. The extract was separated from the solid residue by centrifugation at 1200 rpm. The liquid was stored at
4°C before analysis. The residue was washed with 20 mL distilled water by shaking for 15 min, centrifuged and
the washings discarded (Hanay et al. 2008).
Step two: Reducible fraction (F2). A 40 mL aliquot of 0.5 M hydroxylamine hydrochloride (adjusted to pH 1.5
with HNO3) was added to residue from step 1. The extraction procedure was repeated as described in step 1
(Hanay et al. 2008).
Step three: Oxidizable fraction (F3). A 10 mL aliquot of 8.8 M hydrogen peroxide was added in small amounts
3. Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online)
Vol. 3, No.8, 2013
140
to avoid violent reaction to the residue from Step 2. The mixture was digested at room temperature for 1 h with
occasional shaking. Digestion was continued at 85°C in a water bath for 1 h. The mixture was reduced to a small
volume (1–2 mL) by further heating. A second 10 mL aliquot of H2O2 was added and the digestion continued at
85°C for 1 h. The volume reduction was repeated. Then, 50 mL of ammonium acetate (adjusted to pH 2 with
nitric acid) was added and the extraction was performed as above (Hanay et al. 2008).
Step four: Residual fraction (F4). The solid remaining at the end of the BCR procedure was digested with 3mL
of HNO3 (70%), 6mL of HCl (37%) and 3mL of HF (48%).
The resultant solution from each step was used to determine the heavy metal content in the different fractions by
means of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (Thermo Scientific XSERIES 2 ICP-MS, Franklyn,
MA, USA). The isotopes 65
Cu, 66
Zn, 111
Cd, and the sum of 206
Pb+ 207
Pb+ 208
Pb were selected for the
determination of the elements of interest (Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb). As internal standards 100 µg L−1
of 72
Ge, 115
In,
and 209
Bi were added to both the calibration and unknown sample solutions to monitor and compensate the
possible instrumental drift and matrix effects. Each experiment was conducted in triplicate and the results
reported herein correspond to the average values.
3. Results and discussion
3.1 Physical-Chemical properties of soil and tailings
Some chemical characteristics of the tailings and soil in the vicinity of the zinc-lead abandoned mine of Sidi Bou
Othmane are presented in Table 2. The results obtained for the soil pH measurements, revealed that, in general,
all samples of tailings and soil presented a neutral to alkaline pH ranging from 7,30 to 8,12, similar to
background samples. pH variations seemed to be related to heterogeneous deposits of residues in the
surroundings of the mine which can cause a decrease on the pH, neutral and alkaline pH in soil and mining
residues could be attributed to the presence of carbonates with a high concentration ranging from 122,35 to
131,09 mg g-1
for tailings ; and from 23,72 to 462,00 mg g-1
for soil , high values of carbonates in mining
residues may be due primarily to the mixture of these mining residues with soil very rich in carbonates. The EC
measurements, revealed that, all samples of tailings presented a high values ranging from 2140, 00 to 2270, 00
µS cm-1
, for soil, EC showed more variability than the pH, with EC values ranging from 134,6 to 600, 00 µS cm-
1
. In general, these results are correlated with previous studies carried on Morocco soils (El Hachimi et al. 2007).
A decreasing salinity gradient was also observed and the values obtained for the soil samples are significantly
higher than for the background samples. The highest values are observed for samples SB4, SB8, SB11, SB29
and SB30, located nearly of the mining residues deposits. All the soil samples presented a very high Organic
matter content ranging from 6,24 to 7,81%, similar to background samples , these values are due to the nature of
soil (Arable land and cultivated soils ). The presence of a vegetation cover in some parts of the mining area, and
the mixture of the mining residues with a soil, could explain the high values of OM content in samples
corresponding to the tailings (4, 28 to 4,71%). Together with basic pH values, the presence of carbonates in the
soil lead to an increase in the retention of heavy metals, mainly as carbonate salts as a consequence of the ionic
exchange, the principal retention mechanism of heavy metals (Plassard et al. 2000).
3.2 Total Heavy Metal Levels in soil and tailings
Total metal concentrations were classified based on the background levels for sandy soils (Kabata-Pendias and
Pendias 2000), and the upper values established by European Directive 86/278/EEC (Council of the European
Communities 1986) (table 3). Values of total Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu concentrations in the samples of soil and
tailings (determined after acid digestion), are shown in Table 4. As expected, in most of the mines, the tailings
had higher metal concentrations than soil, the tailings from this abandoned mine contained very high levels of Zn
(18,06 - 42,51 g kg-1
), Pb (9,24-20,63 g kg-1
) , Cu (117,60-127,60 mg kg-1
) and Cd (45,14-105,30 mg kg-1
). The
adjacent soils were also highly contaminated with metals (Zn > Pb > Cu > Cd), according the classification of
the upper values established by European Directive 86/278/EEC (Council of the European Communities 1986),
more than two-thirds of the samples of soil were highly polluted with Zn, while nearly half of the samples
showed levels of Zn and Cd considered to be not tolerable. Cu concentrations were mainly low, the majority of
the samples showing values considered as background or tolerable levels. The soils taken near the area covered
by tailings showed the highest values for all the metals (SB8, SB11, SB29 and SB30). Indeed, almost all theses
samples were classified into very polluted levels (Council of the European Communities 1986) for Zn, Pb, and
Cd (values particularly high for zinc and lead). SB4, SB10 and SB19were also classified into very polluted levels
particularly for zinc, the rest of the samples (SB18 and SB23) were considered as background or tolerable levels
(Kabata-Pendias and Pendias 2000).
All the heavy metals values determined were above the maximum values allowed in the directives (Council of
the European Communities 1986) (tables 3), it is very important to consider that these elements (particularly zinc
and lead) has high toxicity, this fact suggests the common origin of all the metals analyzed and, therefore, the
mining activity can be pointed out as the source for the metal pollution of the studied area: Two reasons may be
4. Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online)
Vol. 3, No.8, 2013
141
suggested to explain the scattering of the metals from the mine area. Firstly, the mining residues had higher
metal concentrations (Table 4), particularly Zn and lead, this fact is probably due to the post processing of the
mine tailings, which were crushed, grinded and treated by flotation. This process would have recovered the small
amounts of ores minerals (e.g. galena (PbS), sphalerite (ZnS)) remaining in the tailings from the original works,
(the laundry was designed for a capacity of 115 tons per day (7,4% Zn 0,5% Pb, and 6% pyrite) using flotation
processes ). Secondly, wind transport of dust may be another important factor influencing the spreading of
pollution.
3.3 Speciation of Heavy Metal in soil and tailings
Measurement of total concentration of metals in soil is useful to detect any net change due to different possible
phenomena such as erosion and leaching to groundwater, but does not give any indication about the chemical
form of metals in soil. Because of the dependence of metal mobility on the interaction of metal with soil, several
sequential leaching procedures have been developed to selectively remove metals from the different geochemical
forms. Due to the high Pb and Zn levels in the samples analyzed and the nature of the Sidi Bou Othmane mine,
Pb and Zn were selected for studying their geochemical distribution in the soil samples and in tailings samples.
The concentration of exchangeable, reducible, oxidizable and residual metals obtained after the application of
the sequential extraction recommended by the BCR and the recovery rate were represented in Tables 5 - 6.The
sum of extractable fraction of metals is reasonably similar to total contents obtained after total acid digestion.
The recovery rate was 85,59 –105,66% for Pb and 91,85-106,19% for Zn.
The first fraction from the BCR extraction procedure Exchangeable (F1) includes weakly absorbed metals
retained on the soil surface (such as clay minerals, organic matter and hydrous oxides) by relatively weak
electrostatic interaction, metals that can be released by ionexchange processes and metals that can be precipitated
or coprecipitated with the carbonates present in many soils (Marin et al. 1997; Filgueiras, Lavilla, and Bendicho
2004). This fraction is considered to be the most bioavailable of the different metal forms and it is also the most
labile (Chlopecka 1996). The highest values of exchangeable fraction (step 1) were observed for Pb and Zn,
especially for mining residues, the values were ranged from 35,29 to 37,48% of the total metal of Pb and from
52,94 to 59,37% of the total metal of Zn. Taking into consideration the high mobility and potential
bioavailability of heavy metals in this fraction and their total concentration (Table 4), it can be concluded that
these wastes could have potentially hazardous effects on the environment.
The F1 concentrations for soil samples (S8, S4, S7, S2 and S6) taken near the area were ranged from 51,35 to
87,57 % of the total metal of Zn and from 30,75to 64,35% of the total metal of Pb, the other samples ( S1, S3,
S5, and S9) located at distances further away from the tailings samples present the following results : The F1
concentrations were ranged from 10,75 to 47,90% for Zn and from 6,18 to 26,19% for Pb. For this fraction (F1),
it can be seen that Zn concentrations were significantly higher than Pb concentrations in the majority of the soil
samples. Several authors have reported the relatively high mobility of Zn in the soil environment, which makes it
considerably more mobile than lead (Wilson and Pyatt 2007). Zinc is readily absorbed by clay minerals,
carbonates, or hydrous oxides and is in the exchangeable form (McLean and Bledsoe 1992).
In the majority of samples collected, large amounts of Pb were mainly associated with the reducible form (F2),
The concentrations (F2) represent high percentages of the total metal content between 57,51– 61,05%, and
23,23– 83,05% for tailings and soil respectively. Zn content in F2 ranged from (34,63 – 42,39%), for tailings
and (0,00 – 45,70%), for soil . Although the percentages of Pb associated with F2 were higher than those of Zn,
high concentrations of Zn were found in mining residues. The incoming pollutants from external polluting
sources initially exist in unstable chemical forms and continued pollutant accumulation leads to the formation of
precipitates, especially as reducible forms (Lee, 2006).
The Pb concentrations associated with the oxidizable fraction (F3) ranged from 1,77– 3,86% in tailing samples
and from 0.00–17,86% in soil samples. F3 was the fraction with the lowest Pb content in the majority of the
collected soil samples. The Zn content in F3 were ranged from 3,62– 4,83% in tailings samples and from 0.00–
11,95% in soil samples. The oxidizable fraction (F3) is associated with the organic and sulfide fraction. In this
study, taking into account the values obtained for the organic matter content, it seems reasonable to assume that
most of the oxidizable zinc and lead were mainly associated with organic matter. Nevertheless, this fraction was
too low for both Pb and Zn. This fact may be related to the findings reported when the BCR procedure was
developed (Sahuquillo et al. 1999; Kaasalainen and Yli-Halla 2003), indicating that organically bound metals are
extracted to some extent in the second step of the sequential extraction method. Besides, several authors have
reported that oxidation of organic matter by acidified hydrogen peroxide is incomplete (Tessier et al. 1979;
Gleyzes et al. 2002 ) and the primary sulfide minerals, including PbS (galena), sphalerite (ZnS), pyrite (FeS2)
and marcasite (FeS2), cannot be totally dissolved by this step (Li and Thornton 2001; Cappuyns et al. 2007). The
Pb concentration associated with the residual fraction (F4) ranged from 0,58 –1,95%) in tailings and from 0.00 –
21,43% for soil samples. As regards to zinc, the concentrations obtained ranged from 1,06 –1,36%) in tailings
and from 1,71–50,82 % for soil samples. The residual solid should mainly contain primary and secondary
5. Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online)
Vol. 3, No.8, 2013
142
minerals, which may hold trace metals within their crystal structure. Therefore, it does not seem reasonable to
assume that these metals may be released under the conditions normally encountered in nature (Dang et al. 2002).
4. Conclusions
Environmental pollution by heavy metals originated from abandoned mines can become a very important source
of contamination both in soil and water. Therefore, the characterization of tailings chemical and physical
properties is important to assess the risk of potential environmental mobility of toxic trace metals that are
contained in this kind of waste. The chemical characteristics of tailings and soil in the vicinity of the zinc-lead
abandoned mine of Sidi Bou Othmane showed that in general, all samples presented a neutral to alkaline pH
similar to background samples, the alkaline pH could be attributed to the presence of carbonates with a high
concentration, the characterization revealed that, the electrical conductivity presents more variability than the pH.
All the soil samples presented a very high organic matter content similar to background samples, these values are
due to the nature of this soil (Arable land and cultivated soils ), the presence of a vegetation cover in some parts
of the mining area, and the mixture of the tailings with a soil, could explain the high values of organic matter
content in samples corresponding to the mining residues, likewise, the influence of organic matter content, pH,
carbonate levels, and interactions among these factors appeared to be central in the distribution of the heavy
metals among the different geochemical phases of the soils. The total heavy metal concentrations showed that
the highest concentrations were Zn, and Pb, except for S5 and S9, all the total concentrations were up the
maximum allowable concentrations of heavy metals for agricultural soil from European Directive 86/278/EEC.
The results obtained after the application of the sequential extraction recommended by the BCR indicated that Pb
was mainly associated with the reducible fraction (F2) in all the collected samples. Zn was mainly associated
with the F1 fraction (exchangeable, water- and acid-soluble) in soil and associated with the F1 fraction and
oxidizable fraction (F3) in tailings, thus being more mobile and potentially more dangerous for the environment
of the studied area. It would be necessary to remove or stabilize the mine waste.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by: PC2E (Pole of competences on Water and Environment), AECID Project No.
A/011433/07 «Estudio de la Movilidad de metales pesados en suelos contaminados» and the European project
SOWAEUMED (Network in Solid Waste and Water Treatment between Europe and Mediterranean Countries,
contract N° 245843)
References
Adriano, D.C. (1986) .Trace elements in the terrestrial environment. Springer -Verlag, New York.
Aubert, G. (1978). Méthodes d’analyses des sols. C.R.D.P., Marseille.
Cappuyns, V., R.Swennen, & M.Niclaes. (2007). Application of the BCR sequential extraction scheme to
dredged pond sediments contaminated by Pb–Zn mining: a combined geochemical and mineralogical approach.
Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 93: 78–90.
Chlopecka, A. (1996).Assessment of form of Cd, Zn and Pb in contaminated calcareous and gleyed soils in
southwest Poland. Science of Total Environment, 188:253–262.
Council of the European Communities. (1986).Directive (86/278/EEC) on the protection of the environment, and
in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture. Official Journal of the European
Communities, L181, 6–12.
Cuong, D. & J.P. Obbard. (2006). Metal speciation in coastal marine sediments from Singapore using a
modified BCR-sequential extraction procedure. Applied Geochemistry, 21: 1335–1346.
Dang, Z., C.Liu, & M.J. Haigh .(2002).Mobility of heavy metals associated with the natural weathering of coal
mine spoils. Environmental Pollution, 118: 419–426.
El Adnani, M., J.M. Rodriguez-Maroto, M.L. Sbai, I.L. Loukili, & A. Nejmeddine. (2007). Impact of
polymetallic mine (Zn, Pb, Cu) residues on surface water, sediments and soils at the vicinity (Marrakech,
Morocco). Environmental Technology, 28: 969-85.
El Gharmali, A., A.Rada, M.El Adnani, N.Tahlil, M.El Meray, & A.Nejmeddine. (2004). Impact du drainage
minier acide sur les écosystèmes aquatiques superficiels dans la région de Marrakech, Maroc. Environmental
Technology, 25: 1431-1442.
El Hachimi, M.L., L.El Founti, A. Bouabdli, N. Saidi, M. Fekhoui, & N. Tasse.(2007). Pb and As in mining
alkaline waters: contamination, comportment and risks (the Zeida abandoned mine, Morocco). Revue des
Sciences de l'eau, 20: 1-13.
Esshaimi, M., N. Ouazzani, M. Avila, G. Perez, M. Valiente & L. Mandi (2012). Heavy metal contamination of
soils and water resources kettara abandoned mine. American Journal of Environmental Sciences, 8(3): 253-261.
Filgueiras, A.V., I. Lavilla, & C.Bendicho. (2004). Evaluation of distribution, mobility and binding behaviour of
6. Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online)
Vol. 3, No.8, 2013
143
heavy metals in surficial sediments of Louro River (Galicia, Spain) using chemometric analysis: a case study.
Science of Total Environment, 330:115–129.
Fuentes, A., M.Lloren, J. Saez, A.Soler, M.I.Aguilar, J.F.Ortuno, & V.F Meseguer. (2004). Simple and
sequential extractions of heavy metals from different sewage sludge. Chemosphere, 54:1039–1047.
Gleyzes, C., S.Tellier, & M. Astruc. (2002). Fractionation studies of trace elements in contaminated soils and
sediments: a review of sequential extraction procedures. Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 21: 451–467.
Hakkou, R., M. Benzaazoua, & B. Bussière. (2008). Acid mine drainage at the abandoned Kettara mine
(Morocco): 1.Environmental characterization. Mine Water Environment, 27: 145-159.
Hanay, O., H. Hasar, N.N. Kocer, & S. Aslan. (2008). Evaluation for Agricultural Usage with Speciation of
Heavy Metals in a Municipal Sewage Sludge. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 81: 42–
46.
Kaasalainen, M., & M. Yli-Halla. (2003). Use of sequential extraction to assess metal partitioning in soils.
Environmental Pollution, 126: 225–233.
Kabata-Pendias, A., & H. Pendias. (2000). Trace Elements in Soils and Plants. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 287
Lee, S. (2006).Geochemistry and partitioning of trace metals in paddy soils affected by metal mine tailings in
Korea. Geoderma, 135:26–37.
Li, X. & I. Thornton. (2001). Chemical partitioning of trace and major elements in soils contaminated by mining
and smelting activities. Applied Geochemistry, 16: 1693–1706.
Marin, B., M.Valladon, M. Polve, & A.Monaco. (1997). Reproducibility testing of a sequential extraction
scheme for the determination of trace metal speciation in a marine reference sediment by inductively coupled
plasma-mass spectrometry. Analytica Chimica Acta, 342: 91–112.
McLean, J.E., & B.E. Bledsoe. (1992). Behaviour of metals in soils. USEPA Ground Water Issue. EPA/540/S-
92/018.
Murray, K., D.Cauvet, M.Lybeer, & J.C.Thomas. (1999). Particle size and chemical control of heavy metals in
bed sediment from the Rouge River, southeast Michigan. Environmental Science & Technology, 33: 987–992.
Plassard, F., T.Winiarski, & M. Petit-Ramel. (2000). Retention and distribution of three heavy metals in a
carbonated soil: comparison between batch and unsaturated column studies. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology,
42: 99–111.
Pickering, W.F. (1986). Metal ion speciation – soils and sediments (a review). Ore Geology Reviews, 1: 83–146.
Rodriguez, L., E. Ruiz, J .Alonso-Azcarate, & J. Rincon. (2009). Heavy metal distribution and chemical
speciation in tailings and soils around a Pb–Zn mine in Spain. The Journal of Environmental Management , 90:
1106–1116.
Sahuquillo, A., J.F. Lopez-Sanchez, R.Rubio, G.Rauret, R.P. Thomas, C.M. Davidson, & A.U. Ure. (1999). Use
of a certified reference material for extractable trace metals to assess sources of uncertainty in the BCR three-
stage sequential extraction procedure. Analytica Chimica Acta, 382: 317–327.
Tessier, A., P.G.C. Campbell, & M. Bisson. (1979). Sequential extraction procedure for speciation of particulate
trace metals. Analytical Chemistry, 51: 844–851.
Wang, C., C.X.Li, H.T. Ma, J.Qian, & J.B.Zhai. (2006). Distribution of extractable fractions of heavy metals in
sludge during the wastewater treatment process. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 137:1277–1283.
Wilson, B., & F.B. Pyatt.(2007).Heavy metal dispersion, persistence, and bioaccumulation around an ancient
copper mine situated in Anglesey, UK. Ecotoxicology and Environmental-Safety, 66:224–231.
7. Journal of Environment and Earth Science www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online)
Vol. 3, No.8, 2013
144
Figure 1. Location of Sidi Bou Othmane mine. (Hakkou et al., 2008)
Table 1. Modified BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure (Hanay et al., 2008).
Step Fraction Target phases Modified BCR
1 Exchangeable, water and
acid soluble
Soluble species, carbonates,
cation Exchange sites
0.11 mol L-1
acetic acid
2 Reducible Iron and manganese
oxyhydroxide
0.5mol L-1
hydroxyl ammonium
chloride at pH1.5
3 Oxidisable Organic matter and
sulphides
Hydrogen peroxide followed
by 1 mol L-1
ammonium
Acetate at pH 2
4 Residual 3 mL HNO3 (70%), 6 mL HCl (37%)
and 3 mL HF (48%)
Table 3. Criteria for soil classification according to total metal content (mg kg-1
) (Rodriguez et al., 2009).
Metal
Group 1
background levelsa
Group 2
background levels to
maximum tolerableb
Group 3
> maximum tolerable
Pb 2,3–70 70–300 >300
Zn 3,5–220 220–300 >300
Cu 1–70 70–140 >140
a
Background levels in sandy soils (Kabata-Pendias and Pendias 2000)
b
Maximum allowable concentrations of heavy metals for agricultural soils established in the European Directive
86/278/EEC (Council of the European Communities 1986).
10. This academic article was published by The International Institute for Science,
Technology and Education (IISTE). The IISTE is a pioneer in the Open Access
Publishing service based in the U.S. and Europe. The aim of the institute is
Accelerating Global Knowledge Sharing.
More information about the publisher can be found in the IISTE’s homepage:
http://www.iiste.org
CALL FOR PAPERS
The IISTE is currently hosting more than 30 peer-reviewed academic journals and
collaborating with academic institutions around the world. There’s no deadline for
submission. Prospective authors of IISTE journals can find the submission
instruction on the following page: http://www.iiste.org/Journals/
The IISTE editorial team promises to the review and publish all the qualified
submissions in a fast manner. All the journals articles are available online to the
readers all over the world without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than
those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. Printed version of the
journals is also available upon request of readers and authors.
IISTE Knowledge Sharing Partners
EBSCO, Index Copernicus, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, JournalTOCS, PKP Open
Archives Harvester, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Elektronische
Zeitschriftenbibliothek EZB, Open J-Gate, OCLC WorldCat, Universe Digtial
Library , NewJour, Google Scholar