Environmental Impact Assessment of Lithium Mining on Soil Quality in Libata Mining Site, Ngaski L.G.A. Kebbi State, Nigeria

The mining of lithium has grown at a very high rate all over the globe owing to the rising demand in lithium-ion batteries in renewable energy technology and in electric vehicles. Nonetheless, mining operations can cause heavy metals to enter the local soils, which can be fatal to the environment and ecology. The study evaluated the environmental effects of lithium mining on soil quality in the Libata mining site in the Ngaski Local Government area of Kebbi state in Northwestern Nigeria. Samples of soil were collected from five mining locations (SL1-SL5) and a control site that was located several kilometres away from the mining site. The concentrations of the chosen heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were measured by means of Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The Contamination Factor (CF), Geo-Accumulation Index (Igeo), and Pollution Load Index (PLI) were used to assess environmental contamination. The findings indicated that mining areas had higher heavy metal concentrations in the soils than the control site. Zinc and copper showed the highest concentrations with maximum values reported at SL5 and SL2 respectively. The analysis of contamination factors showed that several metals were moderately or considerably contaminated, As, Cd, Cu, and Ni. All the mining sites had higher values of the calculated PLI that exceeded unity (PLI > 1), which showed that the quality of soil was being deteriorated as a result of mining. The statistical test using one-way ANOVA indicated that the concentration of heavy metals significantly differed (p < 0.05) between sampling locations. The findings conclude that the lithium mining processes have enhanced the heavy metal content of soils in the research site. It therefore suggested to engage in continuous environmental monitoring and adopt sustainable mining practices to reduce any further environmental degradation.