Mobility of antimony, arsenic and lead at a former mine, Glendinning, Scotland

Macgregor, K., MacKinnon, G. , Farmer, J. G. and Graham, M. C. (2015) Mobility of antimony, arsenic and lead at a former mine, Glendinning, Scotland. Science of the Total Environment, 529, pp. 213-222. (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.039) (PMID:26011617)

Abstract

Elevated concentrations of antimony (Sb), arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in upland organic-rich soils have resulted from past Sb mining activities at Glendinning, southern Scotland. Transfer of these elements into soil porewaters was linked to the production and leaching of dissolved organic matter and to leaching of spoil material. Sb was predominantly present in truly dissolved (< 3 kDa) forms whilst As and Pb were more commonly associated with large Fe-rich/organic colloids. The distinctive porewater behaviour of Sb accounts for its loss from deeper sections of certain cores and its transport over greater distances down steeper sections of the catchment. Although Sb and As concentrations decreased with increasing distance down a steep gully from the main spoil heap, elevated concentrations (~ 6-8 and 13-20 μg L− 1, respectively) were detected in receiving streamwaters. Thus, only partial attenuation occurs in steeply sloping sections of mining-impacted upland organic-rich soils and so spoil-derived contamination of surface waters may continue over time periods of decades to centuries.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: MacKinnon, Dr Gillian and Farmer, Dr John
• Authors: Macgregor, K., MacKinnon, G., Farmer, J. G., and Graham, M. C.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
• Journal Name: Science of the Total Environment
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0048-9697
• ISSN (Online): 1879-1026
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 Elsevier
• First Published: First published in Science of the Total Environment 529:213-222
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.