Geo-Chemical Exploration of Granite Mining Waste Using XRD, SEM/EDX and AAS Analysis

The purpose of the study was to investigate the mineralogical and Heavy Metals (HMs) present in the granite mining soils in Chimakurthy, India. The mineral exploration of mining soils were identified by X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) pattern analysis. However, the morphological features and quantitative HMs were detected by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersed Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). The relative concentrations of HMs measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). In this study, the major minerals were identified as Quartz, Albite, Anorthite, K-Feldspars, Hornblende, Muscovite, Annite, Lepidolite, Illite, Clintonite, Enstatite, Ferrosilite, Kaolinite, Kyanite, Augite, and Phologopite. Moreover, the presence of six HMs such as Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Manganese (Mn), and their relative concentrations were measured.  The concentrations of HMs in three groups of mining soils were in the range of Cr: 149-177 mg/kg (>100), for Co: 128-175 mg/kg (>50), for Ni: 166-204 mg/kg (>50), for Cu: 288-363 mg/kg (>100), for Zn: 433-548 mg/kg (>200) and for Mn: 714-769 mg/kg (<2000) as compared with maximum permissible levels set by standard organizations (WHO/FAO) limits. The results demonstrated that the HMs concentrations in mining soils were exceeded WHO/FAO limits except for Mn. The study is useful for assessment of environmental impact due to excessive deposition of mineral waste and assessment of the quality of investigated granites based on their mineralogical aspect, particularly in the production of granite stones.