Leaching of arsenic from waste deposits at La Aurora mine, Xichú mining district, Guanajuato, Mexico: Characterization and remediation

摘要

The present work focuses on the leachate characterization, the dimensioning of the issue of arsenic release into the Xichú River and the proposal of low-cost remediation strategies for mining waste at La Aurora mine located in the Xichú Mining District, Guanajuato, Mexico. Approximately 1 million tons of sulfur-rich mining waste were deposited on the banks of the Xichú River during the mining of metamorphic hydrothermal deposits. A total of 47 leachate samples containing high concentrations of potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) were analyzed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Chemical composition diagrams (Piper and Stiff) were created with the obtained data with the software AQUACHEM to visualize the impact of arsenic leaching in the Laja-Xichú basin.