MINERAL SEPARATION AND HEAVY METALS STATUS IN DRINKING WATER AROUND ACTIVE MINING ENVIRONMENT.

Abstract

Metallic ore minerals and water samples were collected for studies. The metallic ore minerals were collected from active mining areas from Maru and Anka in Zamfara States while water samples were collected 100 meters away from mining site but within the mining communities. The XRF results of the concentrated samples shows high concentration of elemental minerals such as Fe (85%), Si (59%), As (0.15%), Ag (0.025%) and Ga (0.04%). The results for pH in all the analyzed water samples ranges from (7.8-8.43), all the samples analyzed were within WHO(2008) SON(2015) limits pH range of 6.5 -8.5, all the water samples analyzed had the conductivity values ranges from (92.1-596.1 µS/cm) which are  within the WHO(2008) and SON(2015) limits of 1000µS/cm, Hardness results for water samples ranges from (26.94 – 363.6mg/L), sample AWW-2 had hardness value above 150mg/l WHO(2008) and SON(2015) limit while other samples were within the limit. The results for metal concentrations shows that all the samples analyzed had their values above WHO (2008) and SON (2015) limit of 0.01mg/l for Pb, sample ASW had value above WHO limit of 0.003mg/l for Cd, the results for Fe, Zn and Cu were within WHO/SON limits for all the analyzed samples respectively.