Data on rare earth elements in mining environments under non-acidic conditions

Data Brief. 2018 Dec 21:22:836-850. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2018.12.064. eCollection 2019 Feb.

Abstract

This article contains analytical data on Rare Earth Elements (REE) concentration in waters and solid samples (mining wastes and biominerals) collected in an abandoned mining site characterized by near-neutral conditions, and they are related with the research article "Geochemistry of rare earth elements in water and solid materials at abandoned mines in SW Sardinia (Italy)" (Medas et al., 2013). REE can show specific signatures due to fractionation processes, giving an insight to the understanding of the natural processes ruling the water-rock interactions and the geo-bio-interactions. Most researches on REE behavior were performed in acidic environments, while only few data on REE are available for neutral waters. Elaboration of this dataset can be useful to evaluate the reactions controlling the geochemical behavior of REE under near-neutral to slightly alkaline conditions, driving the scientific community toward an efficient management of monitoring actions and remediation technologies.

Keywords: Biomineral; Fractionation; Mine wastes; Rare earth elements; Water.