Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6(11), 2865-2879; doi:10.3390/ijerph6112865
Article

Leachability of Arsenic and Heavy Metals from Mine Tailings of Abandoned Metal Mines

Mihee Limemail, Gi-Chun Hanemail, Ji-Whan Ahn* email, Kwang-Suk Youemail and Hyung-Seok Kimemail
Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), 92 Gwahang-no, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-350, Korea
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 31 August 2009 / Accepted: 14 November 2009 / Published: 17 November 2009
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Abstract: Mine tailings from an abandoned metal mine in Korea contained high concentrations of arsenic (As) and heavy metals [e.g., As: 67,336, Fe: 137,180, Cu: 764, Pb: 3,572, and Zn: 12,420 (mg/kg)]. US EPA method 6010 was an effective method for analyzing total arsenic and heavy metals concentrations. Arsenic in the mine tailings showed a high residual fraction of 89% by a sequential extraction. In Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) and Korean Standard Leaching Test (KSLT), leaching concentrations of arsenic and heavy metals were very low [e.g., As (mg/L): 0.4 for TCLP and 0.2 for KSLT; cf. As criteria (mg/L): 5.0 for TCLP and 1.5 for KSLT].
Keywords: mine tailings; abandoned mines; arsenic (As); heavy metals; sequential extraction; EPA method 6010; Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP)

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lim, M.; Han, G.-C.; Ahn, J.-W.; You, K.-S.; Kim, H.-S. Leachability of Arsenic and Heavy Metals from Mine Tailings of Abandoned Metal Mines. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6, 2865-2879.

AMA Style

Lim M, Han G-C, Ahn J-W, You K-S, Kim H-S. Leachability of Arsenic and Heavy Metals from Mine Tailings of Abandoned Metal Mines. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2009; 6(11):2865-2879.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lim, Mihee; Han, Gi-Chun; Ahn, Ji-Whan; You, Kwang-Suk; Kim, Hyung-Seok. 2009. "Leachability of Arsenic and Heavy Metals from Mine Tailings of Abandoned Metal Mines." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 6, no. 11: 2865-2879.

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