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Estimation of Heavy Metals in Tailings and Soils Using Hyperspectral Technology: A Case Study in a Tin-Polymetallic Mining Area

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Abstract

Rapid assessment of heavy metal (HM) pollution in mining areas is urgently required for further remediation. Here, hyperspectral technology was used to predict HM contents of multi-media environments (tailings, surrounding soils and agricultural soils) in a mining area. The correlation between hyperspectral data and HMs was explored, then the prediction models were established by partial least squares regression (PLSR) and back propagation neural networks (BPNN). The determination coefficients (R2), root mean squared error and ratios of performance to interquartile range (RPIQ) were used to evaluate the performance of the models. Results show that: (1) both PLSR and BPNN had good prediction ability, and (2) BPNN had better generalization ability (Cu (R2 = 0.89, RPIQ = 3.05), Sn (R2 = 0.86, RPIQ = 4.91), Zn (R2 = 0.74, RPIQ = 1.44) and Pb (R2 = 0.70, RPIQ = 2.10)). In summary, this study indicates that hyperspectral technology has potential application in HM estimation and soil pollution investigation in polymetallic mining areas.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Project of China (2018YFC1802600).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Regional Environment and Eco-Remediation (Shenyang University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, 110044, China

    Zijin Bian & Lina Sun

  2. CAS Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Zijin Bian, Kang Tian, Benle Liu, Xiaohui Zhang, Zhiqiang Mao, Biao Huang & Longhua Wu

  3. Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resources Development of Shallow Lakes of the Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Xiaohui Zhang & Zhiqiang Mao

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  1. Zijin Bian
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  2. Lina Sun
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  3. Kang Tian
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  4. Benle Liu
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  5. Xiaohui Zhang
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  6. Zhiqiang Mao
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Correspondence to Kang Tian.

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Bian, Z., Sun, L., Tian, K. et al. Estimation of Heavy Metals in Tailings and Soils Using Hyperspectral Technology: A Case Study in a Tin-Polymetallic Mining Area. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 107, 1022–1031 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-021-03311-7

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