Geochemical impact of dissolved organic matter on antimony mobilization in shallow groundwater of the Xikuangshan antimony mine, Hunan Province, China

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is widely used in aquatic systems to control the environmental fate of As. However, similar to the behavior of As, Sb mobilization driven by DOM is poorly understood. A total of 25 samples were collected from shallow groundwater in the Xikuangshan mine to compare the spectroscopic characteristics and chemical prop-erties of DOM between high-and low-Sb groundwater and to determine the roles of DOM in Sb mobility. The concen-trations of Sb and DOM varied from 0.003 to 18.402 mg/L (mean: 3.407 mg/L) and 0.38 to 9.90 mg/L (mean: 2.49 mg/L), respectively. The DOM of the D3x4 water was primarily dominated by terrestrial and microbial humic-like and fulvic acid substances, with a relatively small contribution of tryptophan-like components. Complexing agents, competitive adsorption, and photopromoted oxidation under sunlight were considered as the formation mechanisms for DOM-controlled Sb(V)-dominated Sb species in D3x4 water. The weakly alkaline and oxidizing conditions, and the presence of Fe hydroxides facilitated the promotion of Sb(V) concentration. The findings of this study further enhance our understanding of the Sb migration mechanism in oxic groundwater.

Automated summary

This study investigated the role of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the mobilization of antimony (Sb) in shallow groundwater in the Xikuangshan mine. The results showed that DOM plays a key role in controlling the Sb migration, primarily through complexing agents, competitive adsorption, and photopromoted oxidation mechanisms. This research enhances our understanding of the Sb migration mechanism in oxic groundwater.