Waters of the Djouzami gold mining site (Adamawa, Cameroon): Physicochemical characterization and treatment test by Bana smectite (West, Cameroon)

Abstract

This paper firstly evaluates the influence of semi-mechanized artisanal gold mining in Djouzami (Adamawa, Cameroon) on the water quality of the site. Samples of runoff, stagnant water and sediments are collected in the study area. These waters are characterized from a physical (pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity and suspended solids) and chemical point of views. The results obtained show that the waters of the semi-mechanized artisanal gold mining site of Djouzami are slightly acid to neutral (5.93<pH<7.02), turbid (46mg.L-1<SS<200mg.L-1) and polluted by inorganic substances. These include heavy metals such as Cd, Pb and Fe, which exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. The correlation matrix is used to determine relationship existing between the different physicochemical parameters and heavy metals in water and sediment samples. Finally, this paper investigates the ability of Bana smectite (West, Cameroon) denoted BN 61 to remove lead in aqueous medium. It appears that all the lead is adsorbed after adding 0.5 g of clay.

Keywords

• Semi-mechanized artisanal gold mining
• Heavy metals
• Water
• Sediments
• Pollution
• Smectic clay