Geological distribution, provenance, and utilization strategies of soil selenium in Tongshan District, Xuzhou City, China

CUI Xiaodan; REN Jinghua; LIAO Qilin; WANG Yuanyuan; WANG Yimin; ZHOU Qiang; HUANG Biao

doi:10.12029/gc20240121002

2025 Vol. 52, No. 4

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CUI Xiaodan, REN Jinghua, LIAO Qilin, WANG Yuanyuan, WANG Yimin, ZHOU Qiang, HUANG Biao. 2025. Geological distribution, provenance, and utilization strategies of soil selenium in Tongshan District, Xuzhou City, China[J]. Geology in China, 52(4): 1395-1407. doi: 10.12029/gc20240121002

Citation:

CUI Xiaodan, REN Jinghua, LIAO Qilin, WANG Yuanyuan, WANG Yimin, ZHOU Qiang, HUANG Biao. 2025. Geological distribution, provenance, and utilization strategies of soil selenium in Tongshan District, Xuzhou City, China[J]. Geology in China, 52(4): 1395-1407. doi: 10.12029/gc20240121002

Geological distribution, provenance, and utilization strategies of soil selenium in Tongshan District, Xuzhou City, China

1.
Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, Jiangsu, China
2.
Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring & Restoration Project on Land (Arable), Ministry of Natural Resources, Geological Survey of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210018, Jiangsu, China
3.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
4.
College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, Jiangsu, China

Fund Project: Supported by pilot project for Mineral-land Integration of Jiangsu Province (No.3220220039) and open projects of Technology Innovation Center for Ecological Monitoring & Restoration Project on Land (Arable), Ministry of Natural Resources (No.GTST2021-013).

More Information

Author Bio: CUI Xiaodan, female, born in 1990, master, senior engineer, engaged in the development and application research of characteristic and high-quality land resources; E-mail: panzhu24677@163.com
Corresponding author: HUANG Biao, male, born in 1962, professor, engaged in soil geochemistry research; E-mail: bhuang@issas.ac.cn.

Received Date: 21 January 2024

Revised Date: 24 June 2025

Publish Date: 25 July 2025

Abstract

Abstract

This paper is the result of agricultural geological survey engineering.
Objective
Liuxin Town and Maocun Town in Tongshan District, Xuzhou City, have drawn attention due to the elevated levels of soil selenium (Se). We elucidate the distribution of Se-enriched zones and identify the underlying sources.
Methods
A comprehensive sampling was conducted, including 3067 surface soil samples, 3 vertical soil profiles, 4 atmospheric dry deposition samples, 8 sets of irrigation water and sediment samples, 4 coal gangue samples, and 1 fly ash sample.
Results
The surface soil Se concentrations ranged from 0.08 to 15.80 mg/kg, with an average of 0.57 mg/kg and a coefficient of variation (CV) of 1.14, indicating strong spatial heterogeneity. Significant Se enrichment was observed in the soil surface layer, atmospheric dry deposition, and river sediments, primarily driven by coal-related anthropogenic activities. These included Se volatilization and fly ash dispersal during coal combustion, Se leaching and migration from accumulated fly ash and coal gangue, discharge of mining and washing wastewater, and land reclamation in coal mining subsidence areas, etc. Point-source Se hotspots were linked to open-pit coal gangue stockpiles and coal-fired atmospheric emissions, whereas non-point-source was mainly attributed to hydrological transport. For instance, in the areas of Liuwu-Dazhuang-Maocun-Tanshan village corridor, high-Se fly ash was transported via runoff through river networks, subsequently entering farmland soils via irrigation. A comprehensive evaluation of Se-enriched cultivated land resources revealed that there were 8145.61 hectares of Se-enriched area, of which premium Se-enriched land accounted for 79.39% of the total area, and the estimated total selenium resource in the topsoil was 13.34 tons, indicating significant potential for agricultural development and utilization.
Conclusions
The present study provided foundational data to support the exploitation and utilization of Se-enriched soils in the study area. Future efforts should focus on monitoring selenium levels in agricultural products and human dietary intake, while promoting selenium industrial upgrading through optimized land-use planning, technological innovation, policy incentives, brand establishment, financial support, and resource management.
- soil /
- selenium /
- enriched distribution /
- source analysis /
- agricultural geological survey engineering /
- Tongshan District

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References

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