title: Assessment and distribution of antimony in soils around three coal mines, Anhui, China.
abstract: Thirty-three soil samples were collected from the Luling, Liuer, and Zhangji coal mines in the Huaibei and Huainan areas of Anhui Province, China. The samples were analyzed for antimony (Sb) by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) method. The average Sb content in the 33 samples was 4 mg kg(-1), which is lower than in coals from this region (6.2 mg kg(-1)). More than 75% of the soils sampled showed a significant degree of Sb pollution (enrichment factors [EFs] 5-20). The soils collected near the gob pile and coal preparation plant were higher in Sb content than those collected from residential areas near the mines. The gob pile and tailings from the preparation plant were high in mineral matter content and high in Sb. They are the sources of Sb pollution in surface soils in the vicinity of coal mines. The spatial dispersion of Sb in surface soil in the mine region shows that Sb pollution could reach out as far as 350 m into the local environment conditions. Crops in rice paddies may adsorb some Sb and reduce the Sb content in soils from paddyfields. Vertical distribution of Sb in two soil profiles indicates that Sb is normally relatively immobile in soils.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and the Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Cuicui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Guijian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Paul K S
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Chenlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chou
mesh_terms: D000965:Antimony / Q000032:analysis*; D002681:China; D003032:Coal Mining; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D000965:Antimony