Arsenic and metal contamination of water resources from mining wastes in Korea |
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| Authors: | N C Woo M J Choi |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Earth System Science, Yonsei University, 134, Shinchon-Dong, Sudaemoon-Gu, Seoul 120-749, Korea e-mail: ncwoo@ysgeo.yonsei.ac.kr Tel.: +82-2361-2674 Fax: +82-2392-6527, KR |
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| Abstract: | Water resources near a gold-mine waste site were studied for the distribution and contents of contaminants, and their behavior
in the surface and groundwater systems. Arsenic, cadmium, and manganese were identified with levels exceeding the drinking
water guidelines of WHO (World Health Organization), and their distribution depended upon the differences in source materials
and in spatial pH variations. Originating from arsenopyrite, concentrations of dissolved arsenic were controlled by sorption
with amorphous iron (Fe(OH)3) and carbonate minerals. Cadmium and manganese were derived from the mineral phase including sphalerite (ZnS), otavite (CdCO3), and rhodochrosite (MnCO3); their concentrations in water resources were limited by the solubility of mineral phases. All of these processes are significantly
pH-dependent, implying that a small decline in pH could result in a drastic increase in contaminant concentrations and become
a pollution threat to the water resources of the Gubong area.
Received: 13 December 1999 · Accepted: 21 March 2000 |
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| Keywords: | Arsenic Groundwater contamination Metals Mining wastes |
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