Environmental geochemical characteristics of rare-earth elements in surface waters in the Huainan coal mining area, Anhui Province, China

This study investigated the environmental geochemical characteristics of rare-earth elements (REEs) in surface waters in the Huainan mining area, Anhui Province, China. The REEs concentrations were determined by ICP-MS, and the inorganic species of dissolved REEs in the river and coal mining subsidence area water samples were calculated by using the Visual MINTEQ (version 3.1) code. On this basis, the distribution and geochemical characteristics of REEs in the surface waters were systematically analyzed, and the main inorganic species of REEs were investigated. The results showed the following: (1) The REEs concentrations in the surface waters were relatively low, ranging from 0.1361 to 0.3536 μg/L, and the average ∑REEs concentration was 0.2062 μg/L. Compared with light rare-earth elements (LREEs), heavy rare-earth elements (HREEs) were significantly enriched, with an average enrichment factor of 1.4642. Due to the interaction of high pH values and high cation concentrations, the ∑REEs content in the subsidence area water was significantly lower than that in the river water. (2) The distribution pattern of REEs in the surface waters normalized against the North American Shale Composite (NASC) showed that the REEs in the study area had different degrees of cerium (Ce) and europium (Eu) anomalies. The negative Ce anomalies were probably closely related to the pH conditions, whereas the positive Eu anomalies were mainly attributed to preferential chemical weathering and the dissolution of feldspar minerals. (3) The simulation results obtained by using Visual MINTEQ code showed that the dominant and typically inorganic complex form of REEs in the surface waters was carbonate complexes, and this form was one of the reasons for the enrichment of HREEs in the surface water.