Browsing by Author "Boumaza, Bilal"

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    Health risk assessment of potentially hazardous elements in mining wastes from barite deposit (Boucaïd, western Algeria)
    (Elsevier, 2025) Senouci, Khouloud; Bounouala, Mohamed; Boumaza, Bilal; Sasmaz, Ahmet; Yahyaoui, Sami; Ramesh, RamyaPriya; Kechiched, Rabah
    Barite-Lead-Zinc tailings pose environmental risks due to Potentially Hazardous Elements (PHEs). This study monitored PHE concentrations in the Boucaïd Ba-(Pb-Zn) mine, Algeria, and assessed related health risks. Various samples (raw rock, commercial products, and waste materials) were analyzed using SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, XRF, and ICP-MS, with multivariate statistics and Monte Carlo simulations for elemental correlation and risk assessment. Results: showed a shared mineralogical composition of sphalerite, barite, dolomite, quartz, and calcite. BaO levels ranged from 4.33 to 45.15 wt% in all samples, with higher concentrations in finer particles, sludge, and dust (average 21.43, 37.82, and 39.51 wt%, respectively). Cyclone (dust) and classifier (sludge) waste had lower PHE concentrations, but finer fractions (f<0.045 mm to f0.125–0.25mm) exhibited elevated Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, Hg, Tl, and Pb. Cadmium, As, Pb, and Zn exceeded WHO and Canadian limits. Health risk assessments showed Hazard Index (HI) values > 1 for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic elements, particularly Sb, Zn, Cd, Fe, As, and Pb in children and As and Pb in adults. Lifetime cancer risk (LCR) values for As, Cd, Ni, and Pb exceeded US EPA thresholds, with children facing the highest risks. Probabilistic simulations confirmed significant carcinogenic risks, underscoring the need for urgent mitigation
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    Multi-scale (whole-rock, grain size, and particles) distribution of potentially hazardous elements (PHEs) in sedimentary phosphorites from Algerian deposits: Geochemical and environmental implications
    (Elsevier, 2025) Saouli, Safia; Kechiched, Rabah; Bruguier, Olivier; Mongelli, Giovanni; Bosch, Delphine; Ameur-Zaimeche, Ouafi; Boumaza, Bilal; Laouar, Rabah
    Phosphorite exploitation poses environmental risks due to potentially hazardous elements (PHEs). This study investigates their distribution, fractionation, and origin in Algeria’s sedimentary deposits. Whole-rock (n = 16), grain size fractions (n = 15), and phosphate particles (n = 32) were analyzed using petrographic, SEM-EDS, ICP-MS, and LA-ICP-MS techniques. Robust Principal Component Analysis (Robust PCA) and environmental indices, including enrichment factors (EF) and potential ecological risk index (PERI), were applied. Samples contains carbonate-fluorapatite (CFA) with minor carbonate and silica, while SEM-EDS occasionally detects sulfide inclusions in P-particle pores. Chemical analysis reveals high CaO and P2O5 (up to 45 and 38 wt%, respectively), along with elevated Sr (516–2597 mg/kg), Zn (106–609 mg/kg), Cr (199–348 mg/kg), Cd (0.5–143 mg/kg), and U (11–126 mg/kg). According to Robust PCA, CFA hosts, through substitutions, U, Sr, Y, V, Cr, Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn, while the matrix retains Nb, Rb, Ta, Hf, Zr, Li, Cs, Mo, As, and Th, via adsorption. Fine fractions and glauconite show enhanced PHEs, with peak enrichment at the Paleocene-Eocene transition. Environmental assessments reveal extreme risks, particularly from Cd and U, necessitating selective mining to mitigate contamination in PHE-enriched layers, along with appropriate waste management.