title: Nanominerals and potentially hazardous elements from coal cleaning rejects of abandoned mines: Environmental impact and risk assessment.
abstract: Soils around coal mining are important reservoir of hazardous elements (HEs), nanominerals, and ultrafine compounds. This research reports and discusses the soil concentrations of HEs (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in coal residues of abandoned mines. To assess differences regarding environmental impact and risk assessment between coal abandoned mines from the Santa Catarina state, eighteen coal cleaning rejects with different mineralogical and chemical composition, from eight abandoned mines were collected. Nanominerals and ultra-fine minerals from mining-contaminated areas were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM), providing new information on the mineralogy and nano-mineralogy of these coal residues. The total contents of 57 elements (HEs, alkali metals, and rare earth elements) were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The calculation of NWACs (Normalized Average Weighted Concentration), together with the chemometric analysis by Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed the variability of the samples regarding their city and their mine of origin. Moreover, the results confirmed the existence of hotspots in mines near urban areas.
authors.affiliation: University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Analytical Chemistry, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fdez-Ortiz de Vallejuelo
authors.affiliation: University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Applied Chemistry, P.C. 2018 San Sebastian, Spain.
authors.forename: Ainara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gredilla
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Escola de Engenharia, Departamento de Metalurgia, Centro de Tecnologia, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500. Bairro Agronomia, CEP: 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kátia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: da Boit
authors.affiliation: Fundação Estadual de Proteção Ambiental Henrique Luis Roessler, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elba C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Escola de Engenharia, Departamento de Metalurgia, Centro de Tecnologia, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500. Bairro Agronomia, CEP: 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Analytical Chemistry, P.O. Box 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Madariaga
authors.affiliation: Research Group in Environmental Management and Sustainability, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Universidad De La Costa, Calle 58 #55-66, 080002 Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia; Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos. Av. Unisinos, 950 Cristo Rei 90510030, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil; Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, Pró-Reitoria de Ensino, de Pesquisa e de Extensão, UNISUL - Universidade do Sul de Santa CatarinaPedra Branca 88137900, Palhoça, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: felipeqma@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Luis F O
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D003031:Coal / Q000032:analysis*; D060729:Coal Ash / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008903:Minerals / Q000032:analysis*; D008906:Mining; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D060729:Coal Ash; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D008903:Minerals; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Coal mining soil; Hazardous elements contamination; Hotspot identification; Normalized Average Weighted Concentration (NWACs); Principal component