Mining, processing, and metallurgy of Cu-Ni ore in Selebi-Phikwe, Botswana, resulted in a large amount of solid waste material in the form of overburden, slag dumps, tailings, and smelter emissions. Fine particles could spread by wind and contaminate nearby soils or pose a risk for human health by inhalation or unintentional ingestion. Samples of granulated slag, flotation tailings, and contaminated soil were subjected to a multi-method mineralogical and geochemical analysis (ICP-MS, XRD analysis, EPMA, SEM, Raman spectrometry) to identify the distribution and binding of inorganic contaminants. Especially, the fine dust fractions <48 μm and < 10 μm, which could potentially pose a risk through ingestion or inhalation, were studied. Trace elements analysis indicated that slag is enriched in Cr (up to 499 mg/kg), Co (up to 857 mg/kg), Cu (up to 9600 mg/kg), Ni (up to 7000 mg/kg) and Zn (up to 690 mg/kg). Flotation tailings contain relatively high concentrations of Ni (up to 3000 mg/kg) and contaminated soil is especially enriched in As (up to 53,8 mg/kg), Cd (up to 28 mg/kg), Cu (up to 3810 mg/kg), Ni (up to 2790 mg/kg) and Pb (up to 181 mg/kg). The finer dust fraction <10 μm is generally more metal(loid)-rich than the <48 μm fraction. The main contaminant hosting phases in all the studied samples are..
