Determination of Mercury Concentration in Soil and Water Samples from Gold Mining Areas in North and East Sudan

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to determine the concentrations of mercury in soil and water samples from the mining areas in the north and east of Sudan to assess the pollutant risk of mercury on the environment, thus contributing to find the optimal treatment methods for the presence and accumulation of mercury in the environment. Seven soil samples were collected from the mining areas of the Nile State, northern Sudan, three soil samples and three rainwater samples were collected from mining areas east of Atbara River, eastern Sudan. The samples were analyzed by thermal decomposition, amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Comparing the result of soil samples with Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) guidelines for residential and agricultural limit it is found that average concentration of mercury in soil (22.52µg/g) was 3.5 times the permissible limit. For water sample average concentrations of mercury was (0.2742 µg/L) that value was approximately twice the permissible limit for cleaning water and within the permissible limit for drinking water according to the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) recommendation. The ratios that were reached, compared to the permissible limits globally, are catastrophic and predict the occurrence of severe and destructive consequences for the environment