Identification of Anthropogenic and Natural Inputs of Sulfate into River System of Carbonate Zn-Pb Mining Area in Southwest China: Evidence from Hydrochemical Composition, δ34SSO4 and δ18OSO4
2024
Kailiang Zhang | Zeming Shi | Xiaoyan Ding | Liquan Ge | Maolin Xiong | Qingxian Zhang | Wanchang Lai | Liangquan Ge
The release of pollutants from lead-zinc mining areas poses a significant threat to the environment, making pollution tracing crucial for environmental protection. However, the complexity of carbonate mining areas makes tracing these pollutants challenging. This study used &delta:34SSO4 and &delta:18OSO4 isotopes combined with the Stable Isotope Mixing Models in R (SIMMR) to assess anthropogenic sulfate sources in the Daliangzi mining area. The river water types were mainly Ca2+-Mg2+-HCO3&minus:, and SO42&minus:, which are significantly influenced by dolomite dissolution. The &delta:34SSO4 values ranged from 6.47&permil: to 17.96&permil: and the &delta:18OSO4 values ranged from &minus:5.66&permil: to 13.98&permil:. The SIMMR results showed that evaporite dissolution in tributaries, driven by gypsum, contributed 31% of sulfate, while sulfide oxidation, sewage, and atmospheric deposition contributed 19%, 18%, and 24%, respectively. The tailings pond near Xincha Creek has a higher sulfate release potential than the processing plant near Cha Creek. In the mainstream, sulfide oxidation contributed 25%, primarily from mine drainage. Anthropogenic sources, including sulfide oxidation, fertilizers, and sewage, made up about 50% of the total sulfate, with sulfide oxidation accounting for half of this input. The strong correlation between the Zn and SO42&minus: concentrations (R2 = 0.82) and between the Zn and the contribution from the sulfide oxidation (R2 = 0.67) indicates their co-release during sulfide oxidation, making SO42&minus: a proxy for tracing Zn sources. This study highlights the utility of &delta:34SSO4 and &delta:18OSO4 with SIMMR in tracing anthropogenic inputs and underscores the significant impact of mining on river systems and the sulfur cycle.
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