Sustainable rehabilitation of mining waste and acid mine drainage using geochemistry, mine type, mineralogy, texture, ore extraction and climate knowledge.

The oxidative dissolution of sulfidic minerals releases the extremely acidic leachate, sulfate and potentially toxic elements e.g., As, Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Th, U, Zn, etc. from different mine tailings and waste dumps. For the sustainable rehabilitation and disposal of mining waste, the sources and mechanisms of contaminant generation, fate and transport of contaminants should be clearly understood. Therefore, this study has provided a critical review on (1) recent insights in mechanisms of oxidation of sulfidic minerals, (2) environmental contamination by mining waste, and (3) remediation and rehabilitation techniques, and (4) then developed the GEMTEC conceptual model/guide [(bio)-geochemistry-mine type-mineralogy- geological texture-ore extraction process-climatic knowledge)] to provide the new scientific approach and knowledge for remediation of mining wastes and acid mine drainage. This study has suggested the pre-mining geological, geochemical, mineralogical and microtextural characterization of different mineral deposits, and post-mining studies of ore extraction processes, physical, geochemical, mineralogical and microbial reactions, natural attenuation and effect of climate change for sustainable rehabilitation of mining waste. All components of this model should be considered for effective and integrated management of mining waste and acid mine drainage.

Evaluation of health risk and arsenic levels in vegetables sold in markets of Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Salamanca (Spain) by hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy.

The main objective of this study was to determine arsenic (As) levels in vegetables collected from the markets of Dhaka, Bangladesh and for comparison from Salamanca, Spain by HGAAS under optimal conditions, and the potential health risk from consumption of these vegetables. The mean and range of the total As concentration in the vegetables from the markets of Dhaka, Bangladesh were 114 and 1.0-293 µg/kg, respectively. Total As concentration in 77% of Bangladesh vegetables measured was higher than that recommended by the standard. The mean and range of As concentrations for vegetables grown in Spain were 65 and bdl-130 µg/kg, respectively, for Salamanca, 102 and bdl-423 µg/kg, respectively, for Almeria. The As content of the Bangladesh vegetables was approximately twofold to threefold higher than those observed for the vegetables from Almeria and Salamanca (Spain), but in some cases, were similar or less. Daily consumption of As-rich vegetables may result in an additional source of As in the diet, based on the provisional tolerable intake of As for adults recommended by WHO.

Arsenic speciation in environmental samples by hydride generation and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

For the past few years many studies have been performed to determine arsenic (As) speciation in drinking water, food chain and other environmental samples due to its well-recognized carcinogenic and toxic effects relating to its chemical forms and oxidation states. This review provides an overview of analytical methods, preconcentration and separation techniques, developed up to now, using HGAAS and ETAAS for the determination of inorganic As and organoarsenic species in environmental samples. Specific advantages, disadvantages, selectivity, sensitivity, efficiency, rapidity, detection limit (DL), and some aspects of recent improvements and modifications for different analytical and separation techniques, that can define their application for a particular sample analysis, are highlighted. HG-AAS has high sensitivity, selectivity and low DL using suitable separation techniques; and it is a more suitable, affordable and much less expensive technique than other detectors. The concentrations of HCl and NaBH(4) have a critical effect on the HG response of As species. Use of l-cysteine as pre-reductant is advantageous over KI to obtain the same signal response for different As species under the same, optimum and mild acid concentration, and to reduce the interference of transition metals on the arsine generation. Use of different pretreatment, digestion, separation techniques and surfactants can determine As species with DL from ngL(-1) to µgL(-1). Out of all the chromatographic techniques coupled with HGAAS/ETAAS, ion-pair reversed-phase chromatography (IP-RP) is the most popular due to its higher separation efficiency, resolution selectivity, simplicity, and ability to separate up to seven As species for both non-ionic and ionic compounds in a signal run using the same column and short time. However, a combination of anion- and cation-exchange chromatography seems the most promising for complete resolution up to eight As species. The ETAAS method using different separation techniques and chemical modifiers can determine As species in seawater with DL of 0.02 µgL(-1), eliminate interferences of transition metals, improve the selectivity of the measurement, and enhance the sensitivity.