Arsenic Forms in Soils of Various Settings in the Historical Ore Mining and Processing Site of Radzimowice, Western Sudetes

Abstract

This study, carried out in Radzimowice, a historical As mining site, analyzed the speciation and mineralogical As forms in soils, in different locations, as related to rock weathering processes and associated environmental risk. Four soil groups, including those on mine dumps, and in the stream valley, as well as stream sediments, were examined. The screening performed on 52 samples showed an extremely low actual As solubility, except for soils at reducing conditions. Nine samples were subjected to mineralogical analysis by microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and sequential extraction according to Wenzel. The results indicated that in all samples, As was associated mainly with amorphous Fe oxides, that constituted up to 66% of total As. Scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis performed on 3 representative samples revealed that the dump material contained the grains of primary As minerals, mainly arsenopyrite and loelingite, rimmed and encrusted with goethite. Stream sediments and the alluvial soil contained large amounts of (hydroxy)Fe-oxides, in which As was present in sparse scorodite grains and in highly dispersed forms associated with goethite and amorphous compounds of various compositions. The diversity of As species makes forecasting of its environmental fate difficult, therefore further research should focus on As transformations, particularly under reducing conditions.

Does Soil Drying in a Lab Affect Arsenic Speciation in Strongly Contaminated Soils?

“…The dominant As fraction in both soils was F3, the fraction extracted with NH 4 -oxalate buffer, considered to consist of the species associated mainly with amorphous Fe (hydr)oxides [14]. It has been documented by numerous authors that amorphous Fe (hydr)oxides are the main soil hosting phase for arsenates and arsenites [1,3,14,[41][42][43], although the sorption of As(III) is poorer compared to As(V). In soil 2, that was developed of almost pure tailings, there was also a considerable share of residual fraction, F5, strongly associated with the solid phase of the soil, and irreducible.…”

Assessment of arsenic and toxic metal contamination in soils, pore waters and plants surrounding a historical mine site in Czarnów (SW Poland)

“…Heavy met als and toxic ele ments com monly found in min ing soil in clude lead, cad mium, ar senic, cop per, zinc and mer cury. Nu mer ous stud ies have inves ti gated the ex tent of heavy metal con tam i na tion in post-mining ar eas world wide (e.g., Razo et al, 2004;Yabe et al, 2010;Li et al, 2014;Shaji et al, 2021;Chen et al, 2022) and in Poland ( Karczewska, 2006;So³ek-Podwika et al, 2016;Lewiñska et al, 2021;Szopka et al, 2021;Ka³aska et al, 2022;Swêd et al, 2022;Derkowska et al, 2023). The Czarnów de pos its have been stud ied in terms of both ore ge ol ogy (e.g., Zimnoch, 1983;Mikulski 2007Mikulski , 2010Mochnacka, 2009), en vi ron men tal concerns (e.g., Karczewska et.…”

Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater, Soil and the Food-Chain: Risk Management in a Densely Populated Area (Versilia Plain, Italy)

“…Among humancaused contamination, the hot-spots of As release in past mining settings are certainly of relevance and may cause severe impacts on the environment, as well as causing health problems [19,20]. Indeed, in areas of former As-bearing ore mining and processing, various mechanisms may be responsible for the spreading of arsenic in the environment and its secondary accumulation in soils and sediments [21,22]. Arsenic released from geogenic and anthropic sources undergoes a wide range of biological and geochemical reactions in the environment [23,24].…”