University Of Tehran Press Pollution 2383-451X 7 3 2021 07 01 Trace Metals Distribution and Fractionation in Soils Around the Abandoned “Ichmoul” Pb-Zn Mill-Mine, North-East of Algeria 511 526 82523 10.22059/poll.2021.317521.1003 EN Khadidja Bouzid Laboratory of Ethnobotany and Natural Substances, Department of Natural Sciences, Ecole Normale Superieur (ENS) Kouba, 16308 Algiers, Algeria Scientific and Technical Research Center on Arid Regions (CRSTRA), Compus of Mohamed Khider University, Biskra, Algeria 0000-0003-1239-0117 Abdelhak Boutaleb Laboratory of Metallogeny and Magmatism of Algeria (LMMA), Department of Geology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Sciences and Technology, Houari Boumediene, Algiers, Algeria 0000-0001-6931-4540 Mohamed Toumi Laboratory of Ethnobotany and Natural Substances, Department of Natural Sciences, Ecole Normale Superieur (ENS) Kouba, 16308 Algiers, Algeria Living Resources of Economic Interest in Algeria (REVIECO), Department of Natural and Life Science, Faculty of Sciences, Algiers 1 University, Algeria Journal Article 2021 01 21 In order to assess the environmental impact of soil polluted with trace metals, representative soils were collected surrounding the abandoned Pb–Zn mine mill (SM soils), and the new temporary ore storage site (SS soils), which are located in the vicinity of Medina (Aures), North-east of Algeria. Total digestion has been used to determine the total content of Zinc, Copper, Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic, then it was analysed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The sequential extraction Tessier scheme was also used to extract the chemical forms of Zn, Cu, and Pb, and their concentrations in each fraction were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry. Lead was the most abundant trace metals, its concentration in mg.kg^-1 ranged between (67.20 – 46000), followed by Zinc (26 - 1853), Copper (32 – 495), Arsenic (8 – 116), and Cadmium (0.3 - 7.30). Sequential extraction shows that Zinc was mainly associated with reducible and residual fractions. Copper was bound predominantly with the minerals in the residual fraction, followed by the organic matter. Lead was bound mainly with carbonate fraction in SM soils, while Pb in the SM soils was mainly associated with the reducible fraction. The Pb, Zn, Cu mobility factor was significantly higher in SM soils than in SS soils. These results indicate that anthropic activities related to ore concentration and mining process lead to increased concentration of trace metals in surrounding soils, hence their mobility and bioavailability, this consists a potential risk to the environment and biota. https://jpoll.ut.ac.ir/article_82523_179ce4fae10de92ac82e3fa4d1495446.pdf