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8180421 
Journal Article 
Heavy metals in groundwater from the coal bearing aquifer in Northern Anhui Province, China: Concentrations and usability 
Sun, L; Gui, H; Peng, W 
2013 
1 
Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research
ISSN: 0975-7384 
5 
12 
1349-1353 
English 
Water shortage is serious in the coal mining area of China, and the utilization of waste water during coal mining is considered to be a right choice for solving this issue. For tracing the hydro-chemical conditions of the groundwater from the coal bearing aquifer, thirty-five groundwater samples have been analyzed for heavy metal concentrations. The results suggest that either the concentrations or spatial distributions of the eight kinds of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Ni, Cr, Zn, Fe and Mn) vary significantly. Fe, Ni and Mn are the dominant ones among these metals. Statistical analyses indicate that weathering of metal minerals, adsorption by iron hydroxides and dissolution of carbonate are responsible for these variations. Moreover, in comparison with the Chinese groundwater quality standards, the groundwater can be used for drinking if their Cd and Fe can be treated before application, whereas all of heavy metals except for Cu and Zn should be noticed in comparison with the standards of World Health Organization. 
Coal mine; Groundwater; Heavy metals; Quality; Waste water