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Contamination of the environmental ecosystems by trace elements from mining activities of Badao bone coal mine in China

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Environmental Geology

Abstract

Bone coal, as a main mining object, can be used by local inhabitants as daily fuel and by local industrial enterprises as industrial fuel in Pinglin County, Shaanxi Province, China. This study reports how the environmental ecosystems have been polluted around the Badao bone coal mine. Geochemical samples (e.g. rock, water, soil, edible plant and animal) were collected. Bone coal from the Badao mine contains Se up to 75 μg/g Se and 28 μg/g Se in ashes after its combustion, with higher contents of other trace elements. Bone coal and its ash seem to be the main geochemical source of trace elements in soils and plants, which may cause contamination of the local environmental ecosystems. Three ways by which soils have been contaminated by these trace elements derived from bone coal are proposed in this paper. Radishes and beans have the ability to accumulate Mo and Se from soils. There is no obvious difference in concentrations of Cu, Cr and F in each plant from the two areas.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the local government of Pingli County, Shaanxi Province, China, for its assistance in fieldwork. The State Key Project on Fundamental Research Planning of China (grant no. 2001CB409805), the China National Non-ferrous Metal Industry Corporation (grant nos. CNNC95-D-25 and 93E01), and Visiting Scholar Fund of LODG of the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, provided joint financial support for this project. Special thanks are due to CNNC for giving the authors the opportunity to complete this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Open Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 Guanshui Road, 550002, Guiyang, People's Republic of China

    W. X. Fang & Z. Y. Huang

  2. The Mineral and Geological Exploration Center of Non-ferrous Metals, 12B Fuxing Road, Fuxingmenwai, 100814, Beijing, People's Republic of China

    W. X. Fang & Z. Y. Huang

  3. The Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration, CNNC, 5 Shuiwenxiang, 710068, Xi'an, People's Republic of China

    P. W. Wu

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  1. W. X. Fang
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Correspondence to W. X. Fang.

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Fang, W.X., Huang, Z.Y. & Wu, P.W. Contamination of the environmental ecosystems by trace elements from mining activities of Badao bone coal mine in China. Env Geol 44, 373–378 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0768-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0768-3

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