Metal contamination from base metal sulphide mines is a major environmental challenge that poses many ecological and health risks. We examined the metal concentrations in the Dabaoshan mine in South China in water, sediments, and aquatic organisms and their specific characteristics (i.e. size, body tissue, species, and habitat) along the Hengshi and Wengjiang River courses to assess acid mine drainage remediation efforts. Metal concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, thallium, and zinc were examined in tissues (i.e. gills, intestines, and muscles) of 17 freshwater species of fish, shrimps, and crabs. Metals in tissues followed the trend: intestines > gills > muscles; nearly all intestine samples exceeded the safe limits of metals analysed in this study. There is a positive correlation between distance from the mine and metal concentrations related to the flow of surface water and the habitat of aquatic organisms. The concentrations of arsenic, copper, and zinc were the highest in aquatic organisms, and the distribution was influenced by physical (distance from mine, currents, and seasonality), chemical (pH and competing ions), and biological (species, habitat, and predator–prey relation) factors. Large demersal fish and benthic fauna had higher concentrations of metals. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of metals, as well as the high metal pollution index and target hazard quotient (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, thallium, and zinc), occurred in bottom feeders (C. aumtus, X. argentea) and fish belonging to higher trophic levels (P. fulvidraco, O. mossambicus). Lead and cadmium indicated the highest level of biomagnification from prey to predator. Health risks exist from the dietary intake of common aquatic species such as tilapia and carp besides crustaceans due to high arsenic, cadmium, lead, and thallium levels. Further reduction of metals is necessary to improve the effects of acid mine drainage in the catchment.

A total of 43 water and sediment samples, and 34 Corbicula fluminea samples were collected in Xijiang River in southern China to determine the spatial distribution and sources of 12 metals/metalloids (V, Co, Cr, Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn, Cd, Pb, As, Sb, and Tl) and to assess the pollution levels and ecological risks of the pollutants. The results showed that the levels of the metals/metalloids (except for Tl) in the river water from almost all of the sampling sites met the Chinese national surface water quality standards. However, the concentrations of the metals/metalloids in the sediments exceeded the background values by a factor of 1.03–56.56 except for V, Co, and Mn, and the contents of Zn, Cd, and Pb in the Corbicula fluminea soft tissue exceeded the limits of the Chinese Category I food Quality Standards. The spatial distribution analysis showed that the concentrations of the contaminants in the lower reaches of Xijiang River were higher than in the upper reaches. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF), biota-sediment accumulation factor (BSF), geo-accumulation index (I_geo), and the potential ecological risk index (RI) were obtained to assess the pollution levels and ecological risks. The results indicated that Cu, Cd, and Zn were the most prone to bio-accumulation in the Corbicula fluminea soft tissue, and the lower reaches showed a much higher pollution level and risk than the upper reaches. The metals/metalloids in the sediments posed serious threat on the aquatic ecosystem, of which Cd, As, and Sb are the most risky contaminants. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) indicated Cr, Ni, Cu, Mn, Cd, Pb, and As in the sediments came from relevant industrial activities, and V and Co originated from natural sources, and Sb from mining activities, Zn and Tl came from industrial activities and mining activities.

Chelators including DTPA (diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid) and oxalic acid were selected for inducing phytoextraction of heavy metals (HMs) from Pb-, Tl-, and Pb-Tl- contaminated soil, in which heavy metals leakage was highly remarkable. Results showed that compared with the control group without chelating agent under planting conditions, the extraction efficiency (i.e., uptake coefficient) of Pb, Tl increased by 86%, 43% from Pb-Tl- contaminated soil in the presence of oxalic acid, and there was no significant change in heavy metal leakage under rainfall conditions. It was the best phytoremediation scheme in this work. Under rainfall conditions, the HMs concentration in the leachate showed a linear decreasing trend. Acid rain promoted the leakage of heavy metals, and the average leached amount of Tl increased by 1.47 times under acid rain conditions. However, for Pb, DTPA was the main influencing factor, followed by acid rain.

Adding chelating agents is a critical technique of heavy metal activation for enhancing phytoextraction through the formation of soluble metal complexes which will be more readily available for extraction. The preliminary, dynamic, equilibrium activation experiments and speciation analysis of Pb, Cd and Tl in contaminated red soils were used to select six chelates with relatively good activation performance from nine chelates, and the effects of dosage and pH on the heavy metals activation were studied systematically. Results showed that the activation of Pb, Cd and Tl by chelates reached equilibrium within 2 h, and the activation process showed three stages. Under neutral conditions, chelates had better activation performance on Pb- and Cd-contaminated soils. Except for S,S-ethylenediamine disuccinic acid (S,S-EDDS) and citric acid (CA), the maximum equilibrium activation effect (MEAE) of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), N,N-bis (carboxymethyl) glutamic acid (GLDA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) and aminotriacetic acid (NTA) was over 81%. The MEAE of Tl-contaminated soil was less than 15%. The decreasing order of the dosage of chelating agents corresponding to MEAE for three types of contaminated soils was Pb-, Cd- and Tl-contaminated soil, relating to the forms of heavy metals, the stability constants of metal–chelates and the activation of non-target elements Fe in red soil. Under acidic conditions, the activation efficiencies of chelates decreased to differing degrees in Pb- and Cd-contaminated soils, whereas the activation efficiencies of chelating agents in Tl-contaminated soils were slightly enhanced.

The release of heavy metals and metalloids (HMs), including Pb, Zn, Cd, As, and Cu, from two typical contaminated soils with different properties, namely red soil and limestone-dominated soil, was characterized through simulated-rainfall experiments in order to investigate the effects of soil properties on HM release. Significant differences in the HM concentrations between the two soils resulted in various concentrations of dissolved and particulate HMs in the runoff. Differences in the dissolved HM concentrations in the runoff were inconsistent with the HM concentrations in the soils, which is attributed to the variable solubilities of HMs in the two soils. However, the HM enrichment ratios were not significantly different. The strong correlation between dissolved organic carbon and dissolved HMs in the runoff, and between the total organic carbon and particulate HMs in sediments, were observed, especially in the limestone-dominated soil. The specific surface area and HM concentrations in sediments were weakly correlated. Acid-rainfall experiments showed that only the limestone-dominated soil buffered the effects of acid rain on the runoff; the concentrations of dissolved Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cu increased in the red soil under acid rainfall and were 60, 29, 25, and 19 times higher, respectively, than under the neutral conditions. The results contribute to the understanding of HM behavior in the two typical soils in southern China, exposed to frequent storms that are often dominated by acid rainfall.