Characteristics of distribution and chemical speciation of heavy metals in environmental mediums around Jinchang mining city, Northwest China

Heavy metal contamination was the main environmental problem around the Jinchang Ni–Cu mine area of Gansu, Northwest China. The concentration of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in various environmental mediums around the Jinchang Ni–Cu mine area were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). The different chemical speciation of heavy metals was extracted using BCR (European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction procedure, and the concentration of chemical speciation of each heavy metal was measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. The results showed that Cu and Ni were the most important heavy metal pollutants in various mediums including cultivated soils, dust on slagheap surfaces, tailings, and sediments in waste water drains. In the tailings and sediments, the concentrations of Ni were obviously higher than those of Cu, whereas, in the soil and dust, the concentrations of Cu were higher than those of Ni. Analysis of chemical speciation indicated that Cr and Zn were mainly in residual fraction; Cu was mainly in oxidizable fraction; Ni was mainly in reducible fraction and acid soluble fraction; and Pb was mainly in reducible fraction and residual fraction. The extent of contamination of various environmental mediums was different because the heavy metals were derived from different sources. Furthermore, the mobility of various heavy metals was different because of the different distribution of chemical speciation.