Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Migration of Cu, Zn, Cd and As in epikarst water affected by acid mine drainage at a coalfield basin, Xingren, Southwest China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Epikarst water, which is one of the most important water resources in karst mountain areas, is extremely sensitive to mining activities. Acid mine drainage (AMD) with high levels of heavy metals can degrade the water quality. A typical coalfield basin was chosen to research the migration process of heavy metals. It was found that the chemical compositions of the stream water in the research field were controlled by the dissolution of carbonate rocks or/and the weathering and oxidation of pyrite in the mining area. Excluding a few sites in the mining area, As(V) was dominant species of arsenic in the form of H2AsO4 − or HAsO4 2− in the research field. Based on the mass balance concept, it was found that fluxes of As, Zn, Cu and Cd in water from the mining area (site 17) affected by AMD were 18, 871, 281 and 12 kg year−1, respectively. Also, concentrations of Cd, Zn, As and Cu in the stream water decreased along the flow, because these ions deposited from the water to the stream bed as the redistribution processes in environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acero P, Ayora C, Torrentó C, Nieto JM (2006) The behavior of trace elements during schwertmannite precipitation and subsequent transformation into goethite and jarosite. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 70:4130–4139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • An D, Li DS (2005) Epidemiological status and countermeasures of endemic arseniasis of Guizhou Province. Chin J Endemiol 24:214–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Arambarri P, Cabrera F, González-Quesada R (1996) Quality evaluation of the surface waters entering the Doñana National Park (SW Spain). Sci Total Environ 191:185–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bakalowicz M (2004) The epikarst, the skin of karst. In: Jones WK, Culver DC, Herman JS (eds) Epikarst. Proceedings of the symposium held 1–4 October 2003, Shepherdstown, WV. Karst Waters Institute, Charles Town, pp 16–22

  • Balci N, Shanks III, Wayne C, Mayer B, Mandernack Kevin W (2007) Oxygen and sulfur isotope systematics of sulfate produced by bacterial and abiotic oxidation of pyrite. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 71:3796–3811

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bigham JM, Schwertmann U, Carlson L, Murad E (1990) A poorly crystallized oxyhydroxysulfate of iron formed by bacterial oxidation of Fe(II) in acid mine waters. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 54:2743–2758

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casiot C, Morin G, Juillot F, Bruneel O, Personné JC, Leblanc M, Duquesne K, Bonnefoy V, Elbaz-Poulichet F (2003) Bacterial immobilization and oxidation of arsenic in acid mine drainage (Carnoulès creek France). Water Res 37:2929–2936

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casiot C, Egal M, Elbaz-Poulichet F, Bruneel O, Bancon-Montigny C, Marie-Ange C, Gomez E, Aliaume C (2009) Hydrological and geochemical control of metals and arsenic in a Mediterranean river contaminated by acid mine drainage (the Amous River, France); preliminary assessment of impacts on fish (Leuciscus cephalus). Appl Geochem 24:787–799

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen CJ, Chen CW, Wu MM, Kuo TL (1992) Cancer potential in liver, lung, bladder, and kidney due to ingested inorganic arsenic in drinking water. Br J Cancer 66:888–892

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng HF, Hu YN, Luo J, Xu B, Zhao JF (2009) Geochemical processes controlling fate and transport of arsenic in acid mine drainage (AMD) and natural systems. J Hazard Mater 165:13–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis JC (1986) Statistics and data analysis in geology. Wiley, Singapore, p 646

  • Ding ZH, Zheng BS, Finkelman RB, Belkin HE, Chen CG, Zhou DX, Zhou YS (2000) Distribution of high arsenic coals from Southwest Guizhou Province. Geochimica 29:493–494

    Google Scholar 

  • Grande JA, Jiménez A, Romero S, de la Torre ML, Gómez-Olivera T (2010) Quantification of heavy metals from AMD discharged into a public water supply dam in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (SW Spain) using centered moving average. Water Air Soil Pollut 212:299–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson-Edwards KA, Maclin MG, Jamieson HE, Brever PA, Coulthard TJ, Howard AJ, Turner JN (2003) The impact of tailings dam spills and clean-up operations on sediment and water quality in river systems; the Ríos Agrio-Guadiamar, Aznalcóllar, Spain. Appl Geochem 18:221–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson DB, Hallberg KB (2005) Acid mine drainage remediation options: a review. Sci Total Environ 338:3–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li M (2007) Environmental impact assessment of As(arsenic)during the exploitation and utilization of high-As coal. J Meteorol Environ 23:67–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin C, Wu Y, Lu W, Chen A, Liu Y (2007) Water chemistry and ecotoxicity of an acid mine drainage-affected stream in subtropical China during a major flood event. J Hazard Mater 142:199–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu YR (2007) Karst water resources and geoecology in typical regions of China. Environ Geol 51:695–699

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moral F, Cruz-Sanjulián JJ, Olías M (2008) Geochemical evolution of groundwater in the carbonate aquifers of Sierra de Segura (Betic Cordillera, southern Spain). J Hydrol 360:281–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nebel BJ, Wright RT (1999) Ciencias ambientales. Ecologíay desarrollo sostenible. Prentice, México

    Google Scholar 

  • Olías M, Cerón JC, Moral F, Ruiz F (2006) Water quality of the Guadiamar River after the Aznalcóllar spill (SW Spain). Chemosphere 62:213–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plumlee GS, Smith KS, Montour MR, Ficklin WH, Mosier EL (1999) Geologic controls on the composition of natural waters and mine waters draining diverse mineral-deposit types. In: Filipek LH, Plumlee GS (eds) The environmental geochemistry of mineral deposits, part B: case studies and research topics, vol 6B. Rev Econ Geol, pp 373–432

  • Sáinz A, Grande JA, de la Torre ML, Sánchez-Rodas D (2002) Characterization of sequential leachate discharges of mining waste rock dumps in the Tinto and Odiel rivers. J of Environ Manag 64:345–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saria L, Shimaoka T, Miyawaki K (2006) Leaching of heavy metals in acid mine drainage. Waste Manag Res 24:134–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Satapathy DR, Salve PR, Katpatal YB (2009) Spatial distribution of metals in ground/surface waters in the Chandrapur district (Central India) and their plausible sources. Environ Geol 56:1323–1352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheoran AS, Sheoran V (2006) Heavy metal removal mechanism of acid mine drainage in wetlands: a critical review. Miner Eng 19:105–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smedley PL, Kinniburgh DG (2002) A review of the source, behavior and distribution of arsenic in natural waters. Appl Geochem 17:517–568

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanić T, Daković A, Zivanović A, Tomaševišć-Čanović M, Dondur V, Milićević S (2009) Adsorption of arsenic (V) by iron (III)-modified natural zeolitic tuff. Environ Chem Lett 7:161–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strosnider WHJ, Llanos López FS, Nairn RW (2011a) Acid mine drainage at Cerro Rico de Potosí I: unabated high-strength discharges reflect a five century legacy of mining. Environ Earth Sci 64:899–910

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strosnider WHJ, Llanos López FS, Nairn RW (2011b) Acid mine drainage at Cerro Rico de Potosí II: severe degradation of the Upper Rio Pilcomayo watershed. Environ Earth Sci 64:911–923

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stumm W, Morgan JJ (1996) Aquatic chemistry. Wiley, New York

  • Sun J, Wu P, Han ZW, Zhang CP, Liu H (2009) Influence of wastewater from a high arsenic coal mine on quality of epikarst water. Res Environ Sci 22:1440–1444

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang CY, Wu P, Tao XZ, Zhang CP, Han ZW (2009) The basin acidification affected by AMD: a case study in Xingren County, Guizhou, China. Carsologica Sin 28:135–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams M (2001) Arsenic in mine waters: an international study. Environ Geol 40:267–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu P, Tang CY, Liu CQ, Zhu LJ, Pei TQ, Feng LJ (2009a) Geochemical distribution and removal of As, Fe, Mn and Al in a surface water system affected by acid mine drainage at a coalfield in Southwestern China. Environ Geol 57:1457–1467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu P, Tao XZ, Yang Y (2009b) Arsenic species in stream sediment at a high arsenic coal. Bull Mineral Petrol Geochem 28(Suppl):403

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu JY, Heo B, Choi IK, Cho JP, Chang HW (1999) Apparent solubilities of schwertmannite and ferrihydrite in natural stream waters polluted by mine drainage. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 63:3407–3416

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou DX, Liu DN, Zhu SL, Zhou CL (1993) Investigation of chronic arsenic poisoning caused by high arsenic coal pollution. Chin J Prev Med 27:147–150

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the reviewers. Also the authors wish to thank Dr. Zining Cui and Jessica Chan for their helpful comments and criticisms of English writing. It should be mentioned that this work is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40963005), Key Discipline Construction Project of Guizhou University (No. Karst 200902) and the Science and Technology Project of Guizhou Province (No. SY [2009] 3059).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Huaxi, Guiyang, 550003, Guizhou, China

    Jing Sun, Pan Wu & Ruixue Zhang

  2. Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, Matsudo, Chiba, 271-8510, Japan

    Jing Sun & Changyuan Tang

  3. State Key Laboratory of Environment, Geochemistry Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China

    Congqiang Liu

Authors
  1. Jing Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Changyuan Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Pan Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Congqiang Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ruixue Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pan Wu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sun, J., Tang, C., Wu, P. et al. Migration of Cu, Zn, Cd and As in epikarst water affected by acid mine drainage at a coalfield basin, Xingren, Southwest China. Environ Earth Sci 69, 2623–2632 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-2083-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-2083-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation