Spatial distribution, geochemical behaviors and risk assessment of antimony in rivers around the antimony mine of Xikuangshan, Hunan Province, China

Abstract

Pollutants derived from antimony (Sb) mining can easily cause pollution of surrounding water bodies. However, qualitative source analysis of river pollution is mostly conducted, and quantitative source analysis is still lacking. A total of 21 water samples were collected to analyze the pollution status of the heavy metal element Sb, explore the Xikuangshan (XKS) area river heavy metals pollution mechanism, quantitative analysis the sources of pollution, and carry out irrigation water suitability assessment and potential ecological risk assessment. The results showed that, compared with the mining non-affected area, the maximum excess multiple of Sb in surface water and rivers in Hunan XKS area is 411.31. When the river fluid flows through the mining-affected area, the heavy metal element Sb content increases rapidly, and then decreases due to dilution process. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) source analysis showed that the main source of Sb pollution in the rivers is the impact of mining and smelting (83.60%), followed by the role of waste rock leaching (16.40%). After irrigation, 27.78% of the river water had strong ecological risks, and 16.67% had extremely strong ecological risks. This achievement provides a theoretical basis and technical guarantee for protecting and using the local water body of the mining area.

Assessment of Heavy Metal(loid) Pollution and Human Health Risks Associated with a Mineral (Zn, Cu, and Sn Ores) Processing Plant in Yunnan, Southwest China

“…The interrelationships among HMs can provide insights into their sources and migration patterns. A significant correlation between two metals implies a similar origin [83]. Figure 5 illustrate the relationships between different element combinations (As, Cd, Pb and Cu) in various media.…”

Heavy metal pollution characteristics and potential ecological risk assessment of soils around three typical antimony mining areas and watersheds in China

“…This mine has a far-reaching impact on the heavy metal pollution of the soil around it. Due to the antimony ore in smelting ore after combustion is easy to concentrate in the dust, through the atmospheric dust accumulation in the soil, so the longer the mining time, the greater the impact of heavy metal pollution on the soil around the mining area Liang et al, 2013;Sheng et al, 2022). However, because the ore composition of the Nandan mining area is more complex than that of the Lengshuijiang mining area, Pb and Cu pollution are also present, compared with the similar As, Cd, Sb, and Zn pollution at Lengshuijiang.…”

Competitive Removal of Antimony and Humic Acid by Ferric Chloride: Optimization of Coagulation Process Using Response Surface Methodology

“…A recent research survey [4] has indicated the global annual consumption of Sb to be 188,000 tons. The release of Sb and its compounds from natural as well as anthropogenic sources into water bodies is a severe problem in many regions of the world [5][6][7][8]. For instance, the elevated Sb concentrations have been observed as 239 µg/L in Alaska watersheds (USA), 6384 µg/L in Hunan Province rivers (China), and 157 µg/L in Sindh Province lakes (Pakistan), respectively [9][10][11][12].…”