scholarly journals Assessment of the Transfer of Trace Metals to Spontaneous Plants on Abandoned Pyrrhotite Mine: Potential Application for Phytostabilization of Phosphate Wastes

Plants ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Meryem El Berkaoui ◽  
Mariam El Adnani ◽  
Rachid Hakkou ◽  
Ahmed Ouhammou ◽  
Najib Bendaou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Soil Analysis ◽  
Translocation Factor ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Rehabilitation Process ◽  
Spontaneous Vegetation ◽  
High Concentrations

The abandoned Kettara pyrrhotite mine (Marrakech region, Morocco) is a real source of acid mine drainage (AMD) and heavy metal pollution from previous mining operations—which has spread, particularly because of wind erosion. A store-and-release cover system made of phosphate wastes was built on the site for preventing AMD. To ensure the integrity of this cover and its durability, it is desirable to revegetate it (phytostabilization) with plants adapted to the edaphoclimatic conditions of the region. In this paper, a study was carried out on the spontaneous vegetation around the phosphate cover in order to consider the selection of plants to promote the stabilization of the Kettara mine tailings pond. Nine species of native plants with their rhizospheric soils growing in agricultural soils and tailings from the Kettara mine were collected, and metals (As, Cd, Co, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cr) were analyzed. The soil analysis showed that the tailings contained high concentrations of Cu (177.64 mg/kg) and Pb (116.80 mg/kg) and that the agricultural soil contained high concentrations of As (25.07 mg/kg) and Cu (251.96 mg/kg) exceeding the toxicity level (Cu > 100 mg/kg, Pb > 100 mg/kg, As > 20 mg/kg). The plant analysis showed low trace metal accumulation in Scolymus hispanicus, Festuca ovina, Cleome brachycarpa, Carlina involucrata and Peganum harmala. These species had a bioconcentration factor (BCF) greater than 1 and a translocation factor (TF) less than 1, demonstrating a high tolerance to trace metals. Therefore, they are good candidates for use in the phytoremediation of the Kettara mine tailings. These species could also potentially be used for the phytostabilization of the phosphate waste cover of the Kettara mine, thus completing the rehabilitation process of this area.

scholarly journals A Multidisciplinary Approach for the Assessment of Origin, Fate and Ecotoxicity of Metal(loid)s from Legacy Coal Mine Tailings

Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 164
Author(s):  
Honorine Gauthier-Manuel ◽  
Diane Radola ◽  
Flavien Choulet ◽  
Martine Buatier ◽  
Raphaël Vauthier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coal Mine ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Subcellular Fractionation ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Biological Responses ◽  
Receiving Waters ◽  
Coal Tailings ◽  
Produce Acid

Over the course of history, the development of human societies implied the exploitation of mineral resources which generated huge amounts of mining wastes leading to substantial environmental contamination by various metal(loid)s. This is especially the case of coal mine tailings which, subjected to weathering reactions, produce acid mine drainage (AMD), a recurring ecological issue related to current and past mining activities. In this study, we aimed to determine the origin, the fate and the ecotoxicity of metal(loid)s leached from a historical coal tailing heap to the Beuveroux river (Franche-Comté, France) using a combination of mineralogical, chemical and biological approaches. In the constitutive materials of the tailings, we identified galena, tetrahedrite and bournonite as metal-rich minerals and their weathering has led to massive contamination of the water and suspended particles of the river bordering the heap. The ecotoxicity of the AMD has been assessed using Chironomus riparius larvae encaged in the field during a one-month biomonitoring campaign. The larvae showed lethal and sub-lethal (growth and emergence inhibition and delay) impairments at the AMD tributary and near downstream stations. Metal bioaccumulation and subcellular fractionation in the larvae tissues revealed a strong bioavailability of, notably, As, Pb and Tl explaining the observed biological responses. Thus, more than 70 years after the end of mining operations, the coal tailings remain a chronic source of contamination and environmental risks in AMD effluent receiving waters.

The early diagenesis of submerged sulphide-rich mine tailings in Anderson Lake, Manitoba

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1099-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. F. Pedersen ◽  
B. Mueller ◽  
J. J. McNee ◽  
C. A. Pelletier
Keyword(s):  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Pore Waters ◽  
Widespread Occurrence ◽  
Dissolved Iron ◽  
The North ◽  
Acidophilic Bacteria ◽  
Permanent Storage ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Interstitial Waters

The oxidation of sulphide-rich mine tailings stored on land by acidophilic bacteria is frequently associated with severe environmental degradation, as metal-rich acid drainage from the tailings contaminates groundwater and surface runoff. Permanent storage of tailings underwater may prove to be more chemically benign if oxidation is inhibited sufficiently. To assess this possibility, the chemistry of interstitial waters and the associated solid phases in tailings and organic-rich (20–30 wt.% C) natural sediments in Anderson Lake, Manitoba, is examined. The lake has been used as a receiving basin for sulphide-rich tailings since 1979, and is contaminated with metals as a result of the input of acid mine drainage along the north shore and the discharge of mill process water with the tailings. Three cores were collected and processed under nitrogen to extract interstitial waters. At all sites, the occurrence of high concentrations of dissolved iron in shallow pore waters indicates that the deposits are anoxic within several millimetres of the sediment–water interface. Despite high dissolved metal inventories in the lake, the concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd decrease abruptly with depth in the pore waters. This cannot be due to non-steady-state effects and indicates unequivocally that both the tailings and natural sediments are acting as sinks for metals, rather than as sources. Dissolved sulphate data and the widespread occurrence of framboidal pyrite in surface sediments suggest that the metals are being precipitated as sulphide phases at shallow depths.

scholarly journals Perceptions of external costs of dust fallout from gold mine tailings: West Wits Basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mbalenhle Mpanza ◽  
Elhadi Adam ◽  
Raeesa Moolla
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Gold Mine ◽  
The South ◽  
Dust Pollution ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Persistent Problem

Mining is important for the South African economy, as it is for many developing African nations. In 2017, mining was reported to contribute 6.8 % to the South African GDP and provided more than 460, 000 jobs. Though mining adds an enormous amount of value to the country, it has significant impacts on the environment and the socio-economic factors of society. The well-documented environmental impact of mining operations on surface and groundwater systems, known as Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), is just one of these environmental impacts. There are also other impacts such as the pollution of agricultural soils, the creation of sinkholes and air pollution. For example, airborne dust remains a persistent problem in South African urban areas due to the climatic conditions, extensive surface mining, unrehabilitated tailings storage facilities and mineral processing. However, very little is reported on the socio-economic costs that are due to poor environmental management. Some scholars assert that despite the Mine Health and Safety Act, deposition monitoring guidelines and national dust regulations, South Africa still experiences persistent dust problems, especially in coal and gold mining districts. This paper investigates the effect of gold mining dust pollution in and around a Gold Mining Village, in South Africa. A quantitative and qualitative approach was used, where a questionnaire and interviews were conducted to examine the Gold Mine Village perceptions on dust pollution and their socio-economic environment. This paper further examines how poor and premature mine closure by liquidation results in unrehabilitated mine tailings and how this has significant impacts on the socio-economic status of individuals and surrounding businesses. The community being investigated in this study, perceives the dust fallout impact to be a socio-economic threat. The paper finds that the community believes it incurs medical financial expenditures due to treating respiratory-related diseases triggered by dust fallout.

scholarly journals Diversity of Microorganisms in Fe-As-Rich Acid Mine Drainage Waters of Carnoulès, France

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 551-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Bruneel ◽  
R. Duran ◽  
C. Casiot ◽  
F. Elbaz-Poulichet ◽  
J.-C. Personné
Keyword(s):  
Acid Mine Drainage ◽  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Fragment Length Polymorphism ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Acid Mine ◽  
Gallionella Ferruginea ◽  
Natural Remediation ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Acid Waters

ABSTRACT The acid waters (pH 2.7 to 3.4) originating from the Carnoulès mine tailings contain high concentrations of dissolved arsenic (80 to 350 mg · liter−1), iron (750 to 2,700 mg · liter−1), and sulfate (2,000 to 7,500 mg · liter−1). During the first 30 m of downflow in Reigous creek issuing from the mine tailings, 20 to 60% of the dissolved arsenic is removed by coprecipitation with Fe(III). The microbial communities along the creek have been characterized using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and 16S rRNA gene library analyses. The results indicate a low bacterial diversity in comparison with unpolluted water. Eighty percent of the sequences obtained are related to sequences from uncultured, newly described organisms or recently associated with acid mine drainage. As expected owing to the water chemistry, the sequences recovered are mainly related to bacteria involved in the geochemical Fe and S cycles. Among them, sequences related to uncultured TrefC4 affiliated with Gallionella ferruginea, a neutrophilic Fe-oxidizing bacterium, are dominant. The description of the bacterial community structure and its dynamics lead to a better understanding of the natural remediation processes occurring at this site.

scholarly journals First-Time Source Apportionment Analysis of Deposited Particulate Matter from a Moss Biomonitoring Study in Northern Greece

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrysoula Betsou ◽  
Evangelia Diapouli ◽  
Evdoxia Tsakiri ◽  
Lambrini Papadopoulou ◽  
Marina Frontasyeva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Source Apportionment ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Soil Dust ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Moss Species ◽  
Elemental Concentrations ◽  
Pmf Model ◽  
Moss Biomonitoring ◽  
High Concentrations

Moss biomonitoring is a widely used technique for monitoring the accumulation of trace elements in airborne pollution. A total of one hundred and five samples, mainly of the Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. moss species, were collected from the Northern Greece during the 2015/2016 European ICP Vegetation (International Cooperative Program on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops) moss survey, which also included samples from the metalipherous area of Skouries. They were analyzed by means of neutron activation analysis, and the elemental concentrations were determined. A positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was applied to the results obtained for source apportionment. According to the PMF model, five sources were identified: soil dust, aged sea salt, road dust, lignite power plants, and a Mn-rich source. The soil dust source contributed the most to almost all samples (46% of elemental concentrations, on average). Two areas with significant impact from anthropogenic activities were identified. In West Macedonia, the emissions from a lignite power plant complex located in the area have caused high concentrations of Ni, V, Cr, and Co. The second most impacted area was Skouries, where mining activities and vehicular traffic (probably related to the mining operations) led to high concentrations of Mn, Ni, V, Co, Sb, and Cr.

scholarly journals Spatial Variation of Water Chemistry in Aries River Catchment Western Romania

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6592
Author(s):  
Ana Moldovan ◽  
Maria-Alexandra Hoaghia ◽  
Anamaria Iulia Török ◽  
Marius Roman ◽  
Ionut Cornel Mirea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Pollution Indices ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The Impact

This study aims to investigate the quality and vulnerability of surface water (Aries River catchment) in order to identify the impact of past mining activities. For this purpose, the pollution and water quality indices, Piper and Durov plots, as well vulnerability modeling maps were used. The obtained results indicate that the water samples were contaminated with As, Fe, Mn, Pb and have relatively high concentrations of SO42−, HCO3−, TDS, Ca, K, Mg and high values for the electrical conductivity. Possible sources of the high content of chemicals could be the natural processes or the inputs of the mine drainage. Generally, according to the pollution indices, which were correlated to high concentrations of heavy metals, especially with Pb, Fe and Mn, the water samples were characterized by heavy metals pollution. The water quality index classified the studied water samples into five different classes of quality, namely: unsuitable for drinking, poor, medium, good and excellent quality. Similarly, medium, high and very high vulnerability classes were observed. The Durov and Piper plots classified the waters into Mg-HCO3− and Ca-Cl− types. The past and present mining activities clearly change the water chemistry and alter the quality of the Aries River, with the water requiring specific treatments before use.

scholarly journals Metal Removal from Acid Waters by an Endemic Microalga from the Atacama Desert for Water Recovery

Minerals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Martínez ◽  
Yanett Leyton ◽  
Luis Cisternas ◽  
Carlos Riquelme
Keyword(s):  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Metal Removal ◽  
Atacama Desert ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Mining Activity ◽  
Water Recovery ◽  
Metallic Ions ◽  
Mineral Extraction ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Acid Waters

The environmental problems generated by waste from the mining industry in the mineral extraction for business purposes are known worldwide. The aim of this work is to evaluate the microalga Muriellopsis sp. as a potential remover of metallic ions such as copper (Cu2+), zinc (Zn2+) and iron (Fe2+), pollutants of acid mine drainage (AMD) type waters. For this, the removal of these ions was verified in artificial acid waters with high concentrations of the ions under examination. Furthermore, the removal was evaluated in waters obtained from areas contaminated by mining waste. The results showed that Muriellopsis sp. removed metals in waters with high concentrations after 4–12 h and showed tolerance to pH between 3 and 5. These results allow proposing this species as a potential bioremediator for areas contaminated by mining activity. In this work, some potential alternatives for application in damaged areas are proposed as a decontamination plan and future prevention.

Ferritin Crystals in the Gut Caeca of a Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Stegocephalid (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.G. Moore ◽  
P.S. Rainbow
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Tectonic Activity ◽  
Amphipod Species ◽  
Single Pair ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Widespread Occurrence ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Mid Atlantic Ridge ◽  
High Concentrations

Ferritin crystals and calcium granules are reported from the ventral ceaca of Steleuthera ecoprophycea (Amphipoda: Stegocephalidae) collected from the Snake Pit hydrothermal vent, Mid-Atlantic Ridge (3520 m).In a series of earlier papers (Moore & Rainbow, 1984, 1989, 1992; Moore et al., 1994), the authors described the widespread occurrence of intracellular, octahedral crystals of ferritin in the ventral caeca of a range of stegocephalid amphipod species from the continental shelf epibenthos and oceanic plankton. The discovery at 3500 m of a new Steleuthera species (S. ecoprophycea), from a hydrothermal vent on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was announced recently by Bellan-Santini & Thurston (1996), and a complete description is provided therein.Oceanic ridge sites are notable for their tectonic activity and the presence of a diversity of trace metals at high concentrations is to be expected in hydrothermal plumes emanating from such regions (German & Angel, 1995). The detoxification of accumulated trace metals in the ventral ceaca of stegocephalid amphipods from uncontaminated environments is now relatively well known (see above), so it was of interest to investigate whether a vent stegocephalid showed an atypical presence of trace metals in detoxified form in cells of the ventral caeca. The results following from an opportunity to investigate this are reported herein.Material was derived from a dive made by the submersible ‘Alvin’ at Snake Pit hydrothermal field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge (23°23′N 44°56′W), 3520 m, on 16 June 1993 (see Bellan-Santini & Thurston, 1996). Steleuthera ecoprophycea was preserved in 70% alcohol. Subsequently to dissection, the single pair of ventral caeca from each of the four damaged amphipods investigated were post-fixed in 4% glutaraldehyde. For electron microscopy and x-ray microanalysis in STEM mode, ventral caecal tissues were then dehydrated through 95% and absolute ethanol, cleared in propylene oxide, embedded in TAAB resin, sectioned at 0·5 μm (semi-thin sections) on a Reichert OmU2 ultramicrotome and examined without staining in a JEOL 100C electron microscope equipped with LINK system EDX energy dispersive x-ray microanalyser.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document