Copper isotope ratios allowed for quantifying the contribution of coal mining and combustion to total soil copper concentrations in China.

The most prominent source of Cu contamination in soils is metal mining and processing, partly since the Middle Age. However, coal mining and combustion can also cause (some) Cu contamination. We studied the distribution of Cu concentrations and isotope ratios in soils of the Huaibei coal mining area. The contribution of the coal mining and combustion to total Cu concentrations in soil was determined with a two-end-member mixing model based on the distinct δCu values of the Cu emitted from coal mining and combustion and in native soil. The mean Cu concentration of 75 mg kg exceeded the local soil background value (round to 22.13 mg kg). The similar δCu value of grass near the coal mining and combustion operation as in gangue and flying ash indicated a superficial Cu contamination. Mining input was the dominant source of Cu in the contaminated soils, contributing up to 95% and on average 72% of the total Cu in the topsoils. The mining-derived Cu was leached to a depth of 65 cm, where still 29% of the Cu could be attributed to the mining emissions. Grasses showed lower δCu values than the topsoils, because of the preferential uptake of light Cu isotopes. However, the ΔCu was lower in the contaminated than the uncontaminated area because of superficial adsorption of isotopically heavy Cu from the mining emissions. Overall, in this study the distinct δCu values of the mining-derived Cu emissions and the native soil allowed for the quantification of the mining-derived Cu and had already reached the subsoil and contaminated the grass by superficial adsorption in only 60 years of mining operation.