Arsenic speciation and bioaccessibility in arsenic-contaminated soils: Sequential extraction and mineralogical investigation

In this study, a combination of sequential extraction and mineralogical investigation by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed in order to evaluate arsenic solid-state speciation and bioaccessibility in soils highly contaminated with arsenic from mining and smelting. Combination of these techniques indicated that iron oxides and the weathering products of sulfide minerals played an important role in regulating the arsenic retention in the soils. Higher bioaccessibility of arsenic was observed in the following order; i) arsenic bound to amorphous iron oxides (smelter-2), ii) arsenic associated with crystalline iron oxides and arsenic sulfide phase (smelter-1), and iii) arsenic associated with the weathering products of arsenic sulfide minerals, such as scorodite, orpiment, jarosite, and pyrite (mine). Even though the bioaccessibility of arsenic was very low in the mine soil, its environmental impact could be significant due to its high arsenic concentration and mobility.