The influence of water table on the release of heavy metals from tailings and their adsorption in soil

doi:10.13745/j.esf.sf.2024.2.21

Abstract

Abstract:

Natural precipitation can significantly alter the water table in mining areas, increasing the risk of heavy metal pollution in tailings and mining soils. This study investigates the influence of water table fluctuations on the release of heavy metals from tailings and their adsorption in soil through simulation experiments. The results indicate that substantial changes in the water table significantly enhance the release of heavy metals such as Cd, Pb, and Zn. A high water table promotes the accumulation of heavy metals in surface soil, while alternating wet and dry conditions facilitate the migration of heavy metals into deeper soil layers. Cd, Pb, and Zn in soil water pose a considerable risk of leaching into groundwater. Under simulated conditions of continuous soaking and a high water table, residual Cd and Pb in soil are transformed into more active acid-extractable forms. The redox potential (Eh) in the soil solution decreases, promoting the reduction of Fe³⁺, the decomposition of soil organic matter, and the release of Cd and Pb into the system. The adsorption and co-precipitation of amorphous ferric oxide with heavy metals in soil reduce their migration risk. However, in areas with frequent water table fluctuations, particularly in oxygen-limited and organic-rich vadose zones, the potential risk of heavy metal release into groundwater is significantly elevated. These findings highlight the importance of controlling water table fluctuations to prevent and mitigate the potential risks of heavy metal pollution in mining areas.

Key words: tailings, water table, soil contamination, heavy metals, fractionation

CLC Number:

X705

ZHONG Linjian, GUO Zhaohui, XIE Huimin, HUANG Chiyue, GAO Zilun, LIANG Xuechao, XU Rui. The influence of water table on the release of heavy metals from tailings and their adsorption in soil[J]. Earth Science Frontiers, 2025, 32(2): 484-494.

Figures/Tables 11

Table 1 Heavy metal content and main physical and chemical properties of tested tailings and surrounding soil

样品	pH	有机质含量/%	CEC/ (cmol·kg^-1)	重金属含量/(mg·kg^-1)
样品	pH	有机质含量/%	CEC/ (cmol·kg^-1)	As	Cr	Cd	Pb	Zn
尾矿	3.51	—	—	5	29	220	8 700	10 400
土壤	4.50	2.70	12.5	22	210	2	48.5	235

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of experimental setup (a) LW and DW, (b) HW and CK

Fig.2 The changes of pH value (a), Eh (b) and EC (c) of soil water with treatment time

Fig.3 The concentration changes of Cd (a), Pb (b) and Zn (c) in soil water

Fig.4 The concentration of Cd (a), Pb (b) and Zn (c) in soil profile after 56 days’ different water table treatment

Table 2 The change rate of Cd, Pb and Zn in soil profile after 56 days’ different water table treatment

重金属	处理	实验后土壤中重金属变化率/%
重金属	处理	0~5 cm	5~10 cm	10~15 cm
Cd	HW	90.63	28.13	-15.63
	LW	59.83	0	-31.25
	DW	56.25	3.13	3.13
	CK	25	-9.38	-34.38
Pb	HW	1096.13	438.79	6.25
	LW	548.45	169.72	-36.02
	DW	942.07	675	30.41
	CK	29.51	17.53	-8.38
Zn	HW	393.96	238.50	79.80
	LW	263.11	79.02	68.70
	DW	272.19	133.52	91.60
	CK	331.62	77.01	32.47

Fig.5 The concentration changes of Cd (a), Pb (b) and Zn (c) in soil

Fig.6 The chemical forms of Cd, Pb and Zn in soil profile after 56 days’ experiment: (a)0-5 cm; (b)5-10 cm; (c)10-15 cm

Fig.7 The organic matter content in soil profile after 56 days’ experiment

Fig.8 The iron oxide content in soil profile after 56 days’ experiment: (a) free iron oxide; (b) amorphous iron oxide; (c) crystalline iron oxid

Fig.9 SEM and XRD spectra of soil under different water table after the experimet

References 34

[1]	蔡永兵, 邵俐, 范行军, 等. 安徽花山尾矿库溃坝污染农田土壤中As、Sb的释放及垂向迁移特征[J]. 环境化学, 2020, 39(9): 2479-2489.
[2]	景称心, 孔秋梅, 冯志刚. 中国南方某铀尾矿库周缘土壤重金属污染研究[J]. 中国环境科学, 2020, 40(1): 338-349.
[3]	郑锦一, 张学洪, 刘杰, 等. 广西老厂铅锌尾矿重金属动态纵向释放迁移规律[J]. 桂林理工大学学报, 2020, 40(3): 580-586.
[4]	ZHANG Z Y, FURMAN A. Soil redox dynamics under dynamic hydrologic regimes-a review[J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2021, 763: 143026.
[5]	ZHANG L W, SHANG Z B, GUO K X, et al. Speciation analysis and speciation transformation of heavy metal ions in passivation process with thiol-functionalized nano-silica[J]. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2019, 369: 979-987.
[6]	杨宾, 罗会龙, 刘士清, 等. 淹水对土壤重金属浸出行为的影响及机制[J]. 环境工程学报, 2019, 13(4): 936-943.
[7]	KHOEURN K, SAKAGUCHI A, TOMIYAMA S, et al. Long-term acid generation and heavy metal leaching from the tailings of Shimokawa mine, Hokkaido, Japan: column study under natural condition[J]. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 2019, 201: 1-12.
[8]	XUE P Y, ZHAO Q L, SUN H X, et al. Characteristics of heavy metals in soils and grains of wheat and maize from farmland irrigated with sewage[J]. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2019, 26(6): 5554-5563.
[9]	TRAN T H H, KIM S H, JO H Y, et al. Transient behavior of arsenic in vadose zone under alternating wet and dry conditions: a comparative soil column study[J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2022, 422: 126957.
[10]	裴晶晶, 胡南, 张辉, 等. 铀尾矿中不同形态铀释放的影响因素及其相关性[J]. 中国环境科学, 2019, 39(7): 3073-3080.
[11]	鲁如坤. 土壤农业化学分析方法[M]. 北京: 中国农业科学技术出版社, 2000.
[12]	RAURET G, LÓPEZ-SÁNCHEZ J F, SAHUQUILLO A, et al. Improvement of the BCR three step sequential extraction procedure prior to the certification of new sediment and soil reference materials[J]. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 1(1): 57-61.
[13]	毛凌晨, 叶华. 氧化还原电位对土壤中重金属环境行为的影响研究进展[J]. 环境科学研究, 2018, 31(10): 1669-1676.
[14]	张斯宇, 何绪文, 李焱, 等. 铅锌矿区土壤重金属的淋溶试验研究[J]. 矿业科学学报, 2018, 3(4): 406-416.
[15]	董颖博, 林海, 刘泉利, 等. 模拟酸雨条件下锡尾矿中重金属As、Zn、Pb的释放规律[J]. 中国有色金属学报, 2015, 25(10): 2921-2928.
[16]	OKA M, UCHIDA Y. Heavy metals in slag affect inorganic N dynamics and soil bacterial community structure and function[J]. Environmental Pollution, 2018, 243: 713-722. DOI PMID
[17]	CHI Z Y, XIE X J, PI K F, et al. The influence of irrigation-induced water table fluctuation on iron redistribution and arsenic immobilization within the unsaturation zone[J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2018, 637: 191-199.
[18]	陈安冉. 天津滨海平原碱性盐化土壤包气带中重金属Cd迁移与WSOC相互作用关系研究[D]. 天津: 天津师范大学, 2013.
[19]	吕佳芮, 王祖伟, 刘雅明, 等. 干湿交替过程中重金属在碱性盐化表层土壤中的迁移特征[J]. 天津师范大学学报(自然科学版), 2019, 39(5): 57-63.
[20]	崔申申, 杜晓丽, 刘殿威, 等. 降雨入渗对下渗设施土壤胶体-重金属共释放迁移的影响[J]. 环境化学, 2022, 41(9): 2842-2849.
[21]	GUO S H, LIU Z L, LI Q S, et al. Leaching heavy metals from the surface soil of reclaimed tidal flat by alternating seawater inundation and air drying[J]. Chemosphere, 2016, 157: 262-270.
[22]	LIU Y N, GUO Z H, XIAO X Y, et al. Phytostabilisation potential of giant reed for metals contaminated soil modified with complex organic fertiliser and fly ash: a field experiment[J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2017, 576: 292-302.
[23]	ZHENG S A, ZHENG X Q, CHEN C. Transformation of metal speciation in purple soil as affected by waterlogging[J]. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2013, 10(2): 351-358.
[24]	YANARDAĞ I H, ZORNOZA R, BASTIDA F, et al. Native soil organic matter conditions the response of microbial communities to organic inputs with different stability[J]. Geoderma, 2017, 295: 1-9.
[25]	YAN M Q, MA J, ZHANG C Y, et al. Optical property of dissolved organic matters (DOMs) and its link to the presence of metal ions in surface freshwaters in China[J]. Chemosphere, 2017, 188: 502-509. DOI PMID
[26]	LI T Q, DI Z Z, YANG X E, et al. Effects of dissolved organic matter from the rhizosphere of the hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii on sorption of zinc and cadmium by different soils[J]. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2011, 192(3): 1616-1622. DOI PMID
[27]	RINKLEBE J, SHAHEEN S M, YU K W. Release of As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Sr under pre-definite redox conditions in different rice paddy soils originating from the U.S.A. and Asia[J]. Geoderma, 2016, 270: 21-32.
[28]	WANG R H, ZHU X F, QIAN W, et al. Pectin adsorption on amorphous Fe/Al hydroxides and its effect on surface charge properties and Cu(II) adsorption[J]. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 2017, 17: 2481-2489.
[29]	ZHANG J, HUA P, KREBS P. The influences of dissolved organic matter and surfactant on the desorption of Cu and Zn from road-deposited sediment[J]. Chemosphere, 2016, 150: 63-70. DOI PMID
[30]	YU H Y, LIU C P, ZHU J S, et al. Cadmium availability in rice paddy fields from a mining area: the effects of soil properties highlighting iron fractions and pH value[J]. Environmental Pollution, 2016, 209: 38-45.
[31]	THOUIN H, BATTAGLIA-BRUNET F, NORINI M P, et al. Influence of environmental changes on the biogeochemistry of arsenic in a soil polluted by the destruction of chemical weapons: a mesocosm study[J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2018, 627: 216-226.
[32]	ISRAELI Y, EMMANUEL S. Impact of grain size and rock composition on simulated rock weathering[J]. Earth Surface Dynamics, 2018, 6(2): 319-327.
[33]	WANG G Y, PAN X M, ZHANG S R, et al. Remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil by biodegradable chelator-induced washing: efficiencies and mechanisms[J]. Environmental Research, 2020, 186: 109554.
[34]	常春英, 曹浩轩, 陶亮, 等. 淹水和干湿交替对修复后土壤铬的稳定性影响研究[J]. 环境科学研究, 2022, 35(5): 1150-1158.