Assessment of metal risks from different depths of jarosite tailing waste of Trepça Zinc Industry, Kosovo based on BCR procedure

• A BCR sequential extraction procedure was applied for jarosite tailing waste.
• Håkanson potential ecological risk index was calculated.
• Cd possesses the highest potential ecological risk factor.
• The order of potential ecological risk is Cd > Zn > Cu > Ni for all samples.

In this paper the modified BCR sequential extraction procedure and potential ecological risk index method were used to access the environmental activity and potential ecological risks of metals in jarosite tailing waste at different depths. Three jarosite tailing waste samples, located in Mitrovica, Kosovo, were taken at the following depths: 20 cm, 1 m and 2 m. Characterization of investigated samples was carried out by various techniques such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analyzer (EDXRF), CHN analyzer, total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer, ion chromatography (IC) and inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometry (ICP–OES). According to calculated potential ecological risk index, it is confirmed that the mobility of Cd has major environmental impact. The order of potential ecological risk is Cd > Zn > Cu > Ni for all samples, collected from different depths.