Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks
An investigation has been undertaken on the distribution of mineral, major and trace elements in mine wastes of a gold mining area from geo-ecological perspective and its association with potential human health risks. Mine waste samples consisting of waste rocks, soils and sediments (including borro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier BV
2019
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/79993/ |
| _version_ | 1848858804243922944 |
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| author | Mohd Kusin, Faradiella Che Awang, Nor Hayati Syed Hasan, Sharifah Nur Munirah Abdul Rahim, Hairiyatul Aliah Azmin, Nurshazlin Jusop, Shamshuddin Kim, Kyoung-Woong |
| author_facet | Mohd Kusin, Faradiella Che Awang, Nor Hayati Syed Hasan, Sharifah Nur Munirah Abdul Rahim, Hairiyatul Aliah Azmin, Nurshazlin Jusop, Shamshuddin Kim, Kyoung-Woong |
| author_sort | Mohd Kusin, Faradiella |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | An investigation has been undertaken on the distribution of mineral, major and trace elements in mine wastes of a gold mining area from geo-ecological perspective and its association with potential human health risks. Mine waste samples consisting of waste rocks, soils and sediments (including borrow pit, waste dump, stockpile and tailings) were collected in the vicinity of Selinsing gold mine in Malaysia. Major elements in terms of their oxide contents such as SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, K2O and MgO were mainly derived from their mineralogical compositions that were dominated by quartz and muscovite (in waste rocks), kaolinite and illite (in soils) and illite and chlorite-serpentine (in mine tailings). Metallic elements (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Sr, Cr, Cd, Ni, Cu, Co, and Pb) were found in the range of acceptable values except for metalloid arsenic. Arsenic was found in the range of 1.84–1915 mg/kg (the highest in the waste rocks of stockpile). Geochemical assessment indicated that some locations were classified as extremely contaminated, highly enriched and having high contamination with respect to arsenic according to geo-accumulation index, enrichment factor and contamination factor. In view of ecological perspective, arsenic contamination was noticeable i.e. some samples were classified as having considerable to high potential ecological risk with respect to arsenic, while contamination with regard to all other metals were classified as having low risk. In terms of health aspect, the hazard index as indicated by the lifetime cancer risk for arsenic was found in tolerable range for regulatory purposes. Other metals possess no significant non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic risks both for adults and children. The arsenic concentrations were comparable with other mining-related sites worldwide, e.g. Spain, China, South Korea, Poland and Mongolia among others. Iron, As and Cd in the tailings and discharges from treatment facilities within the mine have been removed by 82.9–94.7%. Overall, this paper has highlighted the geo-ecological importance and implication of mining exploration to avoid ecological damages so as to sustain mining sector without inflicting the environment. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T12:19:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-79993 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T12:19:16Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | Elsevier BV |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-799932023-05-30T02:12:49Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/79993/ Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks Mohd Kusin, Faradiella Che Awang, Nor Hayati Syed Hasan, Sharifah Nur Munirah Abdul Rahim, Hairiyatul Aliah Azmin, Nurshazlin Jusop, Shamshuddin Kim, Kyoung-Woong An investigation has been undertaken on the distribution of mineral, major and trace elements in mine wastes of a gold mining area from geo-ecological perspective and its association with potential human health risks. Mine waste samples consisting of waste rocks, soils and sediments (including borrow pit, waste dump, stockpile and tailings) were collected in the vicinity of Selinsing gold mine in Malaysia. Major elements in terms of their oxide contents such as SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, K2O and MgO were mainly derived from their mineralogical compositions that were dominated by quartz and muscovite (in waste rocks), kaolinite and illite (in soils) and illite and chlorite-serpentine (in mine tailings). Metallic elements (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Sr, Cr, Cd, Ni, Cu, Co, and Pb) were found in the range of acceptable values except for metalloid arsenic. Arsenic was found in the range of 1.84–1915 mg/kg (the highest in the waste rocks of stockpile). Geochemical assessment indicated that some locations were classified as extremely contaminated, highly enriched and having high contamination with respect to arsenic according to geo-accumulation index, enrichment factor and contamination factor. In view of ecological perspective, arsenic contamination was noticeable i.e. some samples were classified as having considerable to high potential ecological risk with respect to arsenic, while contamination with regard to all other metals were classified as having low risk. In terms of health aspect, the hazard index as indicated by the lifetime cancer risk for arsenic was found in tolerable range for regulatory purposes. Other metals possess no significant non-carcinogenic or carcinogenic risks both for adults and children. The arsenic concentrations were comparable with other mining-related sites worldwide, e.g. Spain, China, South Korea, Poland and Mongolia among others. Iron, As and Cd in the tailings and discharges from treatment facilities within the mine have been removed by 82.9–94.7%. Overall, this paper has highlighted the geo-ecological importance and implication of mining exploration to avoid ecological damages so as to sustain mining sector without inflicting the environment. Elsevier BV 2019 Article PeerReviewed Mohd Kusin, Faradiella and Che Awang, Nor Hayati and Syed Hasan, Sharifah Nur Munirah and Abdul Rahim, Hairiyatul Aliah and Azmin, Nurshazlin and Jusop, Shamshuddin and Kim, Kyoung-Woong (2019) Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks. Catena, 183. pp. 1-13. ISSN 0341-8162; ESSN: 1872-6887 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0341816219303716 10.1016/j.catena.2019.104229 |
| spellingShingle | Mohd Kusin, Faradiella Che Awang, Nor Hayati Syed Hasan, Sharifah Nur Munirah Abdul Rahim, Hairiyatul Aliah Azmin, Nurshazlin Jusop, Shamshuddin Kim, Kyoung-Woong Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks |
| title | Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks |
| title_full | Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks |
| title_fullStr | Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks |
| title_short | Geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks |
| title_sort | geo-ecological evaluation of mineral, major and trace elemental composition in waste rocks, soils and sediments of a gold mining area and potential associated risks |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/79993/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/79993/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/79993/ |