Monitoring of contaminated toxic and heavy metals, from mine tailings through age accumulation, in soil and some wild plants at Southeast Egypt

Abstract

This study includes tailing from gold mine, at Allaqi Wadi Aswan, Egypt, used by incident Egyptian and after by some English companies. Tailings, soils and wild plants (Acia Raddiena and Aerva Javanica) were sampled and analysed for toxic metals (Hg, Cd, Pb and As) and associated heavy metals (Cr, Ag, Ni, Au, Mo, Zn, Mn and Cu) using ICP-MS, ICP-AES, CVAAS and FAAS techniques. The present work concerns the distribution and mobility of these metals from tailing to the surrounding soils and wild flora. The results reveal that Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, Ag, Au, Mn, Hg, As, Ag, Au and Pb in soil decreased as faraway from the tailing, after then irregular trends as a result of input from surrounding rocks. Acia Raddiena plant accumulated As, Cd and Pb in higher levels than Aerva Javanica. Quantification of soil and plant pollution was studied using enrichment factors, contamination factor, pollution index and bioaccumulation factors and show good interpretations of the results. The overall results of this study show that the soil and plants near the gold mine tailing were highly toxic, and the plants and soil must not be uses for grazing or agriculture.