Geochemical evaluation of heavy metal migration in Pb–Zn tailings covered by different topsoils

• We evaluated the performance of different topsoil construction on heavy metal migration.
• Soluble Pb, Zn and Cd move upward to the topsoil with water due to evaporation and suction of soil.
• The topsoil effectively reduced the concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cd in the leachate.
• Pb, Zn and Cd in the porewater were stabilized by lime interlayer.
• Acid-soluble Cd may migrate through the clay layer to topsoil with pore water.

Heavy metal migration was evaluated in Pb–Zn tailings covered by different topsoil constructions. The four topsoil constructions each had different interlayers: one with direct topsoiling above the tailings (CT); the second had a limestone interlayer between the tailings and topsoil with two geotextile layers set above and below the interlayer (SLS); the third had a lime interlayer, also with two geotextile layers (SL); and the fourth had a clay interlayer with two geotextile layers (SC). The topsoils were evaluated in a 210-day laboratory column leaching experiments and in a 3-year field cover application at an abandoned Pb–Zn tailings pond (northeastern China). The contents of Pb, Zn and Cd in the soils, leachates, interlayers and leaves of Amorpha fruticosa L. were analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).Results showed that the pH values of the leachates from the columns increased with time, from 6.5 to the range of 7.5 to 8.03, and the maximum in pH in C1 (tailings), C2 (CT), C3 (SLS), C4 (SL) and C5 (SC) appeared after the 180th day, at 7.85, 7.89, 7.78, 8.03, and 7.89, respectively. The topsoil effectively reduced the concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cd in the leachate, and the addition of a limestone or lime interlayer enhanced the efficiency, especially for Zn and Cd. The Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations in the topsoil that directly cover the tailings were appreciably less than the initial concentrations, resulting from the eluviation. The presence of a limestone or lime interlayer reduced the mobility of Zn and Cd, and a clay interlayer was effective in preventing the migration of Pb and Zn but had less impact on Cd.During the 3-year field experiment, the pH values of the topsoil increased slightly with time, from 7.15 to the range of 7.67 to 8.20. At the end of the experiment, Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations in the topsoil at the SLS, SL and SC plots showed little change compared with the initial value in 2012. Acid-soluble Pb, Zn and Cd concentrations of the upper soil (0–0.1 m) at CT increased from 0.19, 1.95 and 0.11 mg kg− 1 in 2012 to 1.82, 32.87 and 0.56 mg kg− 1 in 2015, indicating that acid-soluble heavy metals migrated from tailings to topsoil. Acid-soluble Cd in topsoil and in the interlayer showed a small increase at plot SC, indicating that Cd may migrate through the clay layer to topsoil with pore water. The Pb contents in leaves at SLS and SL were 2.38 and 3.04 mg kg− 1, which were appreciably lower than at CT and SC, and the Zn and Cd contents in leaves at CT were 45.78 and 0.26 mg kg− 1, which were higher than at SLS, SL and SC. Topsoiling with an interlayer could be a reliable technique for preventing toxic elements from moving downward or upward during ecological restoration of tailings ponds.