A combination of multiple techniques including XAS and isotopes helped to decipher the mobility of Tl in mining-polluted desert soil in Namibia. Mechanical transport of fine particles of post-flotation tailings is probably responsible for Tl dispersion in soil profiles.

Grösslová Z., Vaněk A., Oborná V., Mihaljevič M., Ettler V., Trubač J., Drahota P., Penížek V., Pavlů L., Sracek O., Kříbek B., Voegelin A., Göttlicher J., Drábek O., Tejnecký V., Houška J., Mapani B., Zádorová T. (2018): Thallium contamination in desert soil in Namibia: Chemical, mineralogical and isotopic insights. Environmental Pollution 239, 272-280. (DOI)

A first long-term (2 years) field experiment indicated how As and other metal(loid) contaminants can be released from As-rich copper smelter flue dust after deposition in contrasting soils. Up to 72% of As was leached out from the flue dust after incubation. The majority of As became highly mobile and could represent a risk for individual environmental compartments (soil, water).

Jarošíková A., Ettler V., Mihaljevič M., Penížek V., Matoušek T., Culka A., Drahota P. (2018): Transformation of arsenic-rich copper smelter flue dust in contrasting soils: A 2-year field experiment. Environmental Pollution 237, 83-92. (DOI)

We published first Cu isotope data in pine tree rings and surrounding polluted and unpolluted soils in the Zambian Copperbelt. In highly polluted soil profiles, there is greater Cu isotope fractionation and Cu isotope compositions in tree rings indicate that there was a non-root uptake of Cu uptake by the trees.

Mihaljevič M., Jarošíková A., Ettler V., Vaněk A., Penížek V., Kříbek B., Chrastný V., Sracek O., Trubač J., Svoboda M., Nyambe I. (2018): Copper isotopic record in soils and tree rings near a copper smelter, Copperbelt, Zambia. Science of the Total Environment 621, 9-17. (DOI)

Check the great paper by Petr Drahota and co-authors about low-temperature formation of As sulphides, which has just been published in GCA! Drahota P., Mikutta C., Falteisek L., Duchoslav V., Klementová M. (2017): Biologically induced formation of realgar deposits in soil. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 218, 237-256. (DOI).

We studied how thallium isotopes can be used for tracing anthropogenic pollution in soils contaminated by emissions from coal-fired power plants. These results are the first published isotope data generated by our brand new MC-ICP-MS lab. Vaněk A., Grosslova Z., Mihaljevič M., Trubač J., Ettler V., Teper L., Cabala J., Rohovec J., Zadorova T., Penizek V., Pavlu L., Holubik O., Nemecek K., Houska J., Drabek O., Ash C. (2016): Isotopic Tracing of Thallium Contamination in Soils Affected by Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants. Environmental Science and Technology 50, 9864-9871. (DOI)

In the footsteps of previous research on zýkaite (Majzlan J., Amoako F.Y., Kindlová H., Drahota P. (2015): Thermodynamic properties of zýkaite, a ferric sulfoarsenate. Applied Geochemistry 61, 294-301, DOI) we published in Hydrometallurgy new thermodynamic data for FeAsO4·0.75H2O: Majzlan J., Dachs E., Benisek A., Drahota P. (2016): Thermodynamic properties of FeAsO4·0.75H2O – a more favorable disposable product of low As solubility. Hydrometallurgy 164, 136-140 (DOI).

Mobility of metal(loid)s in soils is strongly affected by their binding to solids. We studied smelter- and mining-derived particulates with high levels of metals and metalloids (As, Sb) and their stability in soils from dry semi-arid and wet subtropical areas in Africa. Ettler V., Johan Z., Kříbek B., Veselovský F., Mihaljevič M., Vaněk A., Penížek V., Majer V., Sracek O., Mapani B., Kamona F., Nyambe I. (2016): Composition and fate of mine- and smelter-derived particles in soils of humid subtropical and hot semi-arid areas. Science of the Total Environment 563-564, 329-339. (DOI)

A new open-access review paper, published within a special issue of Applied Geochemistry can also be downloaded from the website of our group: Ettler V. (2016): Soil contamination near non-ferrous metal smelters: A review. Applied Geochemistry 64, 56-74. (PDF)

We have co-edited a special issue of Applied Geochemistry devoted to Environmental impacts of mining and smelting. Some of our research has also been published in the frame of this special issue: (i) Kříbek B., Majer V., Knésl I., Keder J., Mapani B., Kamona F., Mihaljevič M., Ettler V., Penížek V., Vaněk A., Sracek O. (2016): Contamination of soil and grass in the Tsumeb smelter area, Namibia: Modeling of contaminants dispersion and ground geochemical verification. Applied Geochemistry 64, 75-91. (DOI), (ii) Ettler V., Kvapil J., Šebek O., Johan Z., Mihaljevič M., Ratié G., Garnier J., Quantin C., (2016): Leaching behaviour of slag and fly ash from laterite nickel ore smelting (Niquelandia, Brazil). Applied Geochemistry 64, 118-127. (DOI), (iii) Ratié G., Quantin C., Jouvin D., Calmels D., Ettler V., Sivry Y, Vieira L.C., Ponzevera, E., Garnier J. (2016): Nickel isotope fractionation during laterite Ni ore smelting and refining: Implications for tracing the sources of Ni in smelter-affected soils. Applied Geochemistry 64, 136-145. (DOI).

First detailed mineralogical investigation of early medieval slags indicated that in the second half of 12^th century, large metallurgical complex, where silver production based on cupellation process, has been active. Our Pb isotope analyses of smelting remains suggest that Pb needed for the cupellation originated probably from mines in Poland. Ettler V., Johan Z., Zavřel J., Walisová M.S., Mihaljevic M., Šebek O. (2015): Slag remains from the Na Slupi site (Prague, Czech Republic): evidence for early medieval non-ferrous metal smelting. Journal of Archeological Science 53, 72-83. (DOI)