Policy Proposal for Metals Speciation in Tailings Contaminated Soils: A Case Study in Chihuahua, Mexico

Abstract

This work is focused in studying the inclusion of chemical speciation in the characterization of mining tailings in Mexican regulation with a case study in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico. In this site, high concentration of lead and arsenic in tailings located in the surroundings represent a high concern to the local population. The total concentration of Pb in the samples ranged from 78.03 ± 2.67 to 5748 ± 263.63 [mg kg^-1] and from 5.49 ± 0.43 to 509.84 ± 40.18 [mg kg^-1] for As. Chemical speciation was tested for samples that exceeded the limits of the Mexican Regulation using sequential extractions proposed by the Bureau Community of Reference (BCR) to obtain the distribution of lead and arsenic in four different fractions. The set of extractions consisted in the extractable/exchangeable fraction (F1), the reducible fraction (F2), the metals bound to organic matter and sulfides (F3) those under oxidizing conditions, and the residual fraction (RF). The results show that 70% of lead is found in F1 and F2 fractions while 20% is found in F3 fraction. In case of arsenic, 60% is found in residual fraction, 25% in fraction F3 and less than 15% in fractions F1 and F2.