Thallium Associated with Manganese Ore Tailings in a Deactivated Mine in the Western Region of Bahia, Brazil

Thallium (Tl) is a rare metal with toxic effects notably harmful to human health and the environment. In this article, the natural occurrence of Tl was evaluated in a deactivated manganese mine located in the Western region of Bahia, Brazil. The extraction procedure with aqua regia was used to disso...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of the Brazilian Chemical Society Vol. 32; no. 5; pp. 1120 - 1130
Main Authors Santos, Jorge Luís, Bueno, Giuliana, Flores, Eder, Leite, Oldair, Janoni, Clayton, Carvalho, Luis, dos Santos, Ana Maria
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Sociedade Brasileira de Química 01.05.2021
Subjects
CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
soil
mineral
mining-tailing
environmental contamination
heavy metals
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Thallium (Tl) is a rare metal with toxic effects notably harmful to human health and the environment. In this article, the natural occurrence of Tl was evaluated in a deactivated manganese mine located in the Western region of Bahia, Brazil. The extraction procedure with aqua regia was used to dissolve the soil, sediment, and tailings samples. The Tl content was determined by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) and manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS). The Tl levels ranged from 0.64 to 473 mg kg‑1, triggering an alert since most of the samples (soil and sediment) analyzed presented Tl concentrations above 1.0 mg kg-1, recognized as the maximum limit recommended by environmental agencies in North America and Europe.
ISSN:0103-5053
1678-4790
DOI:10.21577/0103-5053.20210014