Resumo

ROMERO, Francisco Martín  e  GUTIERREZ RUIZ, Margarita. Comparative hazard study of mine tailings in two mining areas in Southern and Central Mexico. Bol. Soc. Geol. Mex [online]. 2010, vol.62, n.1, pp.43-53. ISSN 1405-3322.

Tailings from two mining zones located in the south and centre of México were geochemically and mineralogicaly studied. According to the identifed mineralogical composition, these studied tailings are characterized by its content of arsenic (140-3627 mg^.kg^-1), cadmium (0.5-434 mg^.kg^-1), lead (148-10900 mg^.kg^-1), copper (0.002-1.55 %), zinc (0.021-3.86 %) and iron (2.4-35.7 %). Nevertheless, the total concentrations of the other potentially toxic elements (PTE) like barium, chromium, mercury, silver, lead, selenium, beryllium, thallium, nickel and vanadium are below the concentrations limits that represent an environmental and health potential risk established by Mexican Environmental Regulations of contaminated soils NOM-147. In both sites oxidized tailings (brown color) and reduced tailings (gray color) were identified. 60% of the oxidized samples from the south of Mexico presented acid pH values from 2.4 to 3.7, indicating the formation of acidic drainage as a consequence of extensive sulfide minerals oxidation. However, the other 40% of these oxidized samples showed practically neutral or slightly basic pH values (6.5-8.2) as a consequence of the action of neutralizing minerals. In the same way, the pH values found in the oxidized tailings from central Mexico varied between 6.5 and 8.2, being still possible to find calcite and wollastonite (residual alkalinity) in these cases. Acid-base accounting results allow predicting that unoxidized gray tailings from south Mexico will be acid generating, when they oxidize, due to their high acid potential "AP" (mean = 206 kg CaCO3 /t) and low neutralization potential "NP" (mean = 121 kg CaCO3 /ton), which indicate insuffciency of pH-buffering minerals to consume acid generation. The ratio PN/PA of these tailings (mean NP/AP = 0.6) indicates that they are generating potentials of acid drainage. The Mexican environmental regulations indicate that tailings with a ratio of NP/AP less than 1.2 must be classified as potential generators of acid drainage However, unoxidized gray tailings from centre Mexico may be classifed as non-acid forming because it's "NP" (mean = 414 kg CaCO3 /t) is higher than its "AP" (mean = 71 kg CaCO3 /t) with a ratio of NP/AP of 5.8, and therefore suffcient pH-buffering minerals are present to balanced acid generation. The highest concentrations of dissolved PTE were found in the acidic tailings from south Mexico (arsenic = 0.4 mg^.L^-1, cadmium = 1.3 mg^.L^-1, lead = 0.2 mg^.L^-1, zinc = 55 mg^.L^-1 and iron = 28 mg^.L^-1), while low concentrations were found in circum-neutral tailings from both studied sites, showing low mobility of these PTE. The low mobility of PTE in unoxidized grays tailings may be explained because they are forming sulfide minerals which are stable under environmental conditions. In oxidized tailings, the low mobility of the EPT is related to sorption processes onto Fe oxy-hydroxides.

Palavras-chave : acid drainage; arsenic; heavy metals; Mexico.

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