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Concentration mechanism of fluorine, arsenic, and uranium in groundwater of the Hailar Basin, China

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Abstract

Located in a semiarid region of the Hulun Buir League in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Hailar Basin is a region with less precipitation, where groundwater is the most important water supply source. It is important to study groundwater characteristics and hydrogeochemical processes for the better management of groundwater resources. Fluorine (F), arsenic (As), and uranium (U) cocontamination currently exists in the groundwater of the Hailar Basin, China. To understand the concentration mechanism of F, As, and U in groundwater in the study area, groundwater samples were collected for detection and analysis. The results showed that the main hydrochemical types in the study area were Cl–Na, HCO3–Na, and HCO3–Ca. The median values of F, As, and U were 3.32 mg/L, 0.029 mg/L, and 0.066 mg/L, respectively, which all exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Through a Gibbs diagram and endmember diagram, it can be seen that the groundwater in the study area is mainly affected by the hydrogeochemical effects of evaporative crystallization, rock weathering mechanisms, and the dissolution of silicate rock and evaporative salt rock minerals. Mineral dissolution, cation exchange, and weakly alkaline environments are important factors affecting F concentrations. Low NO3− and SO42− concentrations cause a reducing environment, and the competitive adsorption of HCO3− promotes As pollution. The concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42−, and NO3− have a great influence on the concentration of U.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41162007, 41362011); Graduate Student Innovation Fund of Jiangxi Province (YC2021-S626); East China University of Technology “National Defense Key Discipline Laboratory of Radioactive Geology and Prospecting Technology”, Open Fund (RGET1904). Last but not least, the authors are truly grateful to Prof. Wenjie Ma and Dr. Dandan Huang for their helpful support and suggestions to accomplish this research paper.

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  1. School of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Shengfeng Liu, Bai Gao, Huanhuan Qin, Qin Ge, Huilan Ling, Zheng Fang, Yan Ding & Tiancheng Shi

  2. State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China

    Bai Gao, Huanhuan Qin & Qin Ge

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  1. Shengfeng Liu
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Liu, S., Gao, B., Qin, H. et al. Concentration mechanism of fluorine, arsenic, and uranium in groundwater of the Hailar Basin, China. Environ Earth Sci 81, 444 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10560-0

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