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Metal Contamination of an Underground Gold Picking Zone in the Department of Djekanou, Cote D’Ivoire

Received: 5 December 2020     Accepted: 14 December 2020     Published: 22 January 2021
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Abstract

Illegal gold mining has developed in recent years in the department of Djékanou with the rising cost of gold on the world market, due to the slump in local agricultural products and the unemployment of young people of working age. It has become an essential activity along with agriculture and farming in rural areas. It is an effective way to fight poverty. However, this practice is likely to cause significant environmental damage. Thus, to assess the environmental quality of this region prone to gold mining activity, the determination of the level of metallic contamination of environmental matrices (soils and sediments) was carried out. Four (4) soil and sediment sampling campaigns took place in dry and rainy seasons on the illegal gold mining site and near the dam, all located at about 685 m from Yobouékro, on the gold washing site of Taffissou at 3,425 m from Djékanou and at Groudji in the department of Djékanou. The sediment sampling was carried out by Strahler's method, while that of the soils was taken at random over the extent of the gold washing sites. The total concentrations of metals in the different matrices were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The analytical results show that the metal contents are lower than the natural content of each element in the earth's crust (UCC). Gold mining activities are not currently a source of metallic contamination of the environment. Also, the contamination factors recorded from the concentrations of metals are all less than 1, indicating low contamination of sediments and soils by trace metal elements despite intense gold mining activity. Notwithstanding, the evaluation of the environmental quality from the concentrations of the metals Cd, Co, Cr, Hg and Pb compared to the American guide values SQGs (TEC and PEC), it is noted that the receiving environment is contaminated only by mercury, cadmium and cyanide; the values of the other parameters studied being lower than the guide values. The two matrices mentioned above were also assayed with cyanide and the results revealed that the sites of Groudji and Taffissou are contaminated.

Published in International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis (Volume 9, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11
Page(s) 1-10
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Trace Elements, Physicochemistry, Geology, Gold Panning, Environment

References
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    Ouattara Bakary, Aka Ané Maurice, Yao Kouakou Alphonse, Seka Yapoga Jean, Gnagne Essoh Yves, et al. (2021). Metal Contamination of an Underground Gold Picking Zone in the Department of Djekanou, Cote D’Ivoire. International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis, 9(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11

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    ACS Style

    Ouattara Bakary; Aka Ané Maurice; Yao Kouakou Alphonse; Seka Yapoga Jean; Gnagne Essoh Yves, et al. Metal Contamination of an Underground Gold Picking Zone in the Department of Djekanou, Cote D’Ivoire. Int. J. Environ. Monit. Anal. 2021, 9(1), 1-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11

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    AMA Style

    Ouattara Bakary, Aka Ané Maurice, Yao Kouakou Alphonse, Seka Yapoga Jean, Gnagne Essoh Yves, et al. Metal Contamination of an Underground Gold Picking Zone in the Department of Djekanou, Cote D’Ivoire. Int J Environ Monit Anal. 2021;9(1):1-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11,
      author = {Ouattara Bakary and Aka Ané Maurice and Yao Kouakou Alphonse and Seka Yapoga Jean and Gnagne Essoh Yves and Yapo Ossey Bernard},
      title = {Metal Contamination of an Underground Gold Picking Zone in the Department of Djekanou, Cote D’Ivoire},
      journal = {International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis},
      volume = {9},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-10},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijema.20210901.11},
      abstract = {Illegal gold mining has developed in recent years in the department of Djékanou with the rising cost of gold on the world market, due to the slump in local agricultural products and the unemployment of young people of working age. It has become an essential activity along with agriculture and farming in rural areas. It is an effective way to fight poverty. However, this practice is likely to cause significant environmental damage. Thus, to assess the environmental quality of this region prone to gold mining activity, the determination of the level of metallic contamination of environmental matrices (soils and sediments) was carried out. Four (4) soil and sediment sampling campaigns took place in dry and rainy seasons on the illegal gold mining site and near the dam, all located at about 685 m from Yobouékro, on the gold washing site of Taffissou at 3,425 m from Djékanou and at Groudji in the department of Djékanou. The sediment sampling was carried out by Strahler's method, while that of the soils was taken at random over the extent of the gold washing sites. The total concentrations of metals in the different matrices were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The analytical results show that the metal contents are lower than the natural content of each element in the earth's crust (UCC). Gold mining activities are not currently a source of metallic contamination of the environment. Also, the contamination factors recorded from the concentrations of metals are all less than 1, indicating low contamination of sediments and soils by trace metal elements despite intense gold mining activity. Notwithstanding, the evaluation of the environmental quality from the concentrations of the metals Cd, Co, Cr, Hg and Pb compared to the American guide values SQGs (TEC and PEC), it is noted that the receiving environment is contaminated only by mercury, cadmium and cyanide; the values of the other parameters studied being lower than the guide values. The two matrices mentioned above were also assayed with cyanide and the results revealed that the sites of Groudji and Taffissou are contaminated.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Metal Contamination of an Underground Gold Picking Zone in the Department of Djekanou, Cote D’Ivoire
    AU  - Ouattara Bakary
    AU  - Aka Ané Maurice
    AU  - Yao Kouakou Alphonse
    AU  - Seka Yapoga Jean
    AU  - Gnagne Essoh Yves
    AU  - Yapo Ossey Bernard
    Y1  - 2021/01/22
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11
    T2  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
    JF  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
    JO  - International Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Analysis
    SP  - 1
    EP  - 10
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7667
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijema.20210901.11
    AB  - Illegal gold mining has developed in recent years in the department of Djékanou with the rising cost of gold on the world market, due to the slump in local agricultural products and the unemployment of young people of working age. It has become an essential activity along with agriculture and farming in rural areas. It is an effective way to fight poverty. However, this practice is likely to cause significant environmental damage. Thus, to assess the environmental quality of this region prone to gold mining activity, the determination of the level of metallic contamination of environmental matrices (soils and sediments) was carried out. Four (4) soil and sediment sampling campaigns took place in dry and rainy seasons on the illegal gold mining site and near the dam, all located at about 685 m from Yobouékro, on the gold washing site of Taffissou at 3,425 m from Djékanou and at Groudji in the department of Djékanou. The sediment sampling was carried out by Strahler's method, while that of the soils was taken at random over the extent of the gold washing sites. The total concentrations of metals in the different matrices were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The analytical results show that the metal contents are lower than the natural content of each element in the earth's crust (UCC). Gold mining activities are not currently a source of metallic contamination of the environment. Also, the contamination factors recorded from the concentrations of metals are all less than 1, indicating low contamination of sediments and soils by trace metal elements despite intense gold mining activity. Notwithstanding, the evaluation of the environmental quality from the concentrations of the metals Cd, Co, Cr, Hg and Pb compared to the American guide values SQGs (TEC and PEC), it is noted that the receiving environment is contaminated only by mercury, cadmium and cyanide; the values of the other parameters studied being lower than the guide values. The two matrices mentioned above were also assayed with cyanide and the results revealed that the sites of Groudji and Taffissou are contaminated.
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Polytechnic Doctoral School, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast

  • UFR of Earth Sciences and Mineral Resources (ESMR), Felix Houphouet-Boigny University, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

  • National Polytechnic Institute Félix Houphouet-Boigny (INPHB), Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast

  • UFR Environmental Sciences and Management, Laboratory of Environmental Sciences, Nangui Abrogoua University, Abidjan Ivory Coast

  • UFR Environmental Sciences and Management, Laboratory of Environmental Sciences, Nangui Abrogoua University, Abidjan Ivory Coast

  • UFR Environmental Sciences and Management, Laboratory of Environmental Sciences, Nangui Abrogoua University, Abidjan Ivory Coast

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