Analysis of heavy metals in sediments with different particle sizes and influencing factors in a mining area in Hunan Province

Heavy metals mainly exist on the surface of sediment particles and are transported using particulate matter as carriers. Therefore, the particle size of sediment particles can affect the adsorption, release, and migration of heavy metals. This study aim to investigate the distribution characteristics and chemical fraction of Cd, Pb, and As contents in sediments of different particle sizes using the BCR method, and to determine the key factors affecting the distribution of heavy metals through mineralogical methods such as XRD and EDS. The results revealed that the overall content of various forms of heavy metals increases with the decrease of particle size, mainly presents in fine particles. The mineralogical analysis results indicated that fine particles predominantly contained clay minerals such as chlorite and illite and coarse particles mainly include primary minerals. Due to the mining areas in the middle-upstream, Cd, Pb and As were primarily associated with galena, sphalerite and pyrite, respectively. The distribution of heavy metals is jointly influenced by sediment particle size and sediment material composition.