Characterization of the soil contamination by potentially toxic metals - Vale do Ribeira

Abstract

The Ribeira Valley region was the scene of intense mining activity, nine mines have been exploited, whose main focus of interest was to obtain Pb, alternatively, Ag and Zn. Mining waste (enriched in As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, and Zn) were deposited in the form of pile directly on the ground without any prior treatment for about 4 years (1991-1995).In this context, this project aims to characterize the soil that is just below the waste mining, to determine, from the geological and geotechnical properties, if this soil is retaining or not the potentially toxic metals contained in such waste. For that project will perform the following analyzes: textural, mineralogical, chemical, limits of consistency and density. Thus, from the characterization of the soil is possible to understand the interactions between the contaminant and the soil, and that minimizing contamination is occurring or not. This project is part of a larger project involving the characterization of mining wastes and detailed characterization of soil (involving chemical extractions and toxicity tests). (AU)