Small mammals of background areas in the vicinity of the Karabash copper smelter (Southern Urals, Russia)

The dataset contains records of small mammals (Eulipotyphla and Rodentia) collected in the background (unpolluted) areas in the vicinity of Karabash copper smelter (Southern Urals, Russia) and the territory of the Sultanovskoye deposit of copper-pyrite ores before the start of its development. Data were collected during the snowless periods in 2007 (18 sampling plots), 2008–2010 (13 plots annually), 2011 (30 plots) and 2012–2014 (19 plots annually). The capture of animals was carried out in different types of forests (pine, birch, mixed and floodplain), sparse birch stands, reed swamps, marshy and dry meadows, border areas, a household waste dump, areas of ruderal vegetation and a temporary camp. Our study of small mammals was conducted using trap lines (snap and live traps). During the study period, 709 specimens of small mammals were caught, which belonged to five species of shrews and 13 species of rodents. The dataset may be highly useful for studying regional fauna and the distribution of species in different habitats and could also be used as reference values for environmental monitoring and conservation activities. Our dataset contains new information on occurrences of small mammals. It includes the peculiarities of their habitat distribution in the background areas in the vicinity of the large copper smelter and the deposit of copper-pyrite ores before the start of its development (Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia). All occurrence records of 18 mammal species with georeferencing have been published in GBIF.

Healthy lifestyle commitment and the workаbility index of industrial employees in the Sverdlovsk Region

Introduction. The gain in the morbidity rate and medical costs associated with the work environment and lifestyle stimulates employers to search for effective preventive measures to preserve health and longevity of workers. The study aimed to assess commitment to a healthy lifestyle (HLS) and the work ability index of employees of an industrial enterprise and to determine directions for developing effective corporate health promotion programs. Material and methods. We conducted a questionnaire-based survey of 1188 employees of a large copper smelter to assess their workability and healthy lifestyle commitment. Results. Two-thirds of the employees rated their quality of life as good; the same proportion of workers was satisfied with the psychological climate and working conditions. More than half of employees were overweight and 64.3 % of them did not adhere to a diet in an attempt to lose weight; only 34.4 % of the workers reported having regular meals in the works canteen; 51.6 % did not engage in physical training and sports, and the share of smokers in the main production workshops was 49.1 %. The average workability at the enterprise was assessed as suitable. We established an inverse relationship between chronic diseases and the workability index. A positive rating of the quality of life and working conditions correlated with satisfaction with the working conditions, the profession chosen, the quality of personal protective equipment, and the psychological climate at work. Discussion. Having a disease significantly affects the workability index, while every tenth worker has a discrepancy between the general health status and job requirements. The employees appreciate their health but fail to change their health-related behaviour, putting other life values above health and undermining it. Conclusion. Creating comfortable working conditions and motivation for a healthy lifestyle should be differentiated and aimed primarily at workers having a high risk of developing a disease and low motivation and specific behavioural patterns, depending on the initial data obtained. It is necessary to use adapted questionnaires and modern preventive, diagnostic techniques.

A Comprehensive Exploration on Pollution Characteristics and Ecological Risks of Heavy Metals in Surface Paddy Soils around a Large Copper Smelter, Southeast China

To assess heavy metal pollution and ecological risk, a total of 28 surface paddy soil samples were collected and analyzed around a famous copper smelter in Guixi, China. The results showed that all sites were heavily contaminated by both Cu and Cd, compared with soil background values, whose average concentrations exceeded the standard by 5.7 and 12.3 times, respectively, posing a slight ecological risk related to Cu (potential ecological risk index <40) and an extremely serious ecological risk related to Cd (potential ecological risk index >320). The risks were also demonstrated through the speciation analyses of Cu (CaCl2-Cu 2.63%, acid-soluble Cu 8.67%, and residual Cu 74.17%, on average) and Cd (CaCl2-Cd 47.30%, acid-soluble Cd 45.02%, and residual Cd 28.87%, on average) in the surface paddy soil, including the use of a CaCl2 extraction procedure and the BCR (Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction scheme. Several soil properties (residual carbon, cation exchange capacity, and soil texture) were significantly correlated with soil Cd but made a small contribution to their variability with a poor linear fit because of external Cd input to the soil, while soil total potassium largely influenced the soil Cu species except for residual Cu. Therefore, an effective Cu pollution regulation strategy through soil potassium control is suggested for this smelter soil.

Biomass and mortmass of woody vegetation in metal-contaminated areas (Southern Urals, Russia)

Since the mid-2000s, long-term monitoring of various components of natural ecosystems under conditions of industrial pollution has been carried out in the Southern Urals. As a part of these monitoring programmes, the data on various components of biota in different biotopes, collected with different methods and in different time intervals, continue to be gathered. In addition, data collected through these monitoring programmes can also be used to study the local biodiversity of non-polluted areas. In 2012, in the vicinity of the Karabash Copper Smelter, a study of communities of small mammals was carried out, considering the heterogeneity of their habitats. Within the framework of this project, we presented a detailed description of the state of woody vegetation in the study area. The dataset (available from the GBIF network at https://www.gbif.org/dataset/61384edd-2d0a-437b-8cf0-ff4d2dfcc0da) includes the results of an assessment of the woody vegetation biomass at seven habitats (pine, birch and floodplain forests, reed swamp, sparse birch stand, marshy meadow and dump of household waste) of areas with different levels of industrial pollution in the vicinities of the Karabash, the Southern Urals. Karabash Copper Smelter (KCS) is one of Russia’s most significant point polluters; the main components of its emissions are heavy metals, dust and sulphur dioxide. Parameters of woody vegetation (diameter at breast height, diameter at root collar level and biomass) were estimated for seven forest elements (forest stand, subcanopy (undergrowth and underwood), half-dead tree of a forest stand and four types of coarse woody debris (downed bole, fragment of downed bole, standing dead tree and stump)) at 41 sampling plots (20 at unpolluted and 21 at polluted areas) and 165 subplots (81 and 84, respectively). The dataset includes 411 sampling events (estimation events of the forest elements at sampling plots and subplots), corresponding to 5786 occurrences (estimations of the woody vegetation components) observed during July 2012. For most woody vegetation components (72%), an estimate of the above-ground phytomass is given. For each sampling event, information on the presence or absence of woody vegetation species at the considered habitats is provided (a total of 1479 occurrences with status "absent"). The dataset can be used for environmental monitoring, sustainable forest management, modelling forest productivity considering global changes, studying the structure and biodiversity of forest cover and assessing forests’ carbon-sequestration capacity. In addition, the dataset provides information about different forest ecosystems under the influence of strong industrial pollution.

Disposal of copper electrofining solutions

The paper presents studies of the processing of spent copper electrolyte from the processing of non-ferrous metal scrap at a copper smelter in Kazakhstan. For the processing of the spent electrolyte, a stage-by-stage neutralization was carried out using zinc sublimates and potash. As a result of the first stage of neutralization with zinc sublimations to pH 4.7, a precipitate with a content of PbO 44.69 %; PO2 16.36 % was obtained. After processing the sediment with an alkaline solution, carbonization and melting at a temperature of 900 oC, metallic lead and tin-containing slag with a content of SnO2 of 16.36 % were obtained. As a result of the second stage of neutralization with potash to pH 7.1, a precipitate was obtained-with a CuO content of 76.45 %. After the third stage of neutralization with potash to pH 9.5, a precipitate with a content of NiO 27.63 % and ZnO 55.75 % was obtained. After treatment of the precipitate with a solution containing 100 g / dm3 KOH, a zinc-containing solution with a ZnO content of 225.0 g/dm3 and a precipitate were obtained, after calcination of which nickel oxide with a NiO content of 89.14 % was obtained.

Phosphorus and sulphates removal from wastewater using copper smelter slag washed with acid

In this study, we present the performance of acid washed copper smelter slag for the adsorption of phosphates and sulphates from wastewater. The aim of the study was to investigate the removal of phosphates and sulphates from wastewater using acid washed copper smelter slag at batch scale by exploring influences of different variables. The leachate concentrations of copper, iron, manganese and lead released from the adsorbent were 1.8, 128.2, 0.32 and 0.20 mg L−1, respectively at pH 2. The point of zero charge was at pH 6.04, Pseudo-Second Order kinetic model described the adsorption process better with an R2 value of 0.99. The experimental maximum adsorption capacities for phosphates and sulphates were 0.51 and 0.24 mg g−1 media, respectively, and 0.96 mg P g−1 media at pH 12 and 0.39 mg g−1 media for sulphates at pH 2, respectively. The process was endothermic with temperature having insignificant impact during adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacities for thermodynamic study were 0.103 ± 0.09 and 0.046 ± 0.004 mg g−1 media respectively, for PO43− P and SO42− at 60 °C. This study showed that acid washed copper smelter slag has an improved adsorption capacity for phosphate and sulphate ions but further investigations should be conducted to find ways of further improving the adsorbent performance. Article highlights There is increase in the adsorption capacity of acid washed copper smelter slag. The adsorption capacity of phosphorus is high at pH 12 and for sulphate at pH 6. The adsorption of phosphate and sulphate ions onto acid washed slag is an endothermic process. Intraparticle diffusion was not the only rate controlling mechanisms.

Recovery of zinc from copper smelter slag by sulfuric acid leaching in an aqueous and alcoholic environment

The content of zinc in copper smelter slags obtained from pyrometallurgical copper production is comparable to the content of this metal in zinc ores. Therefore, these slags are considered a valuable secondary resource for zinc recovery. At the same time, the features of the mineralogical composition of the slag make the extraction of zinc from it very problematic. Most of the zinc is concentrated in the refractory zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4). To avoid the formation of a viscous pulp when leaching copper smelter slag with an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid, in this work, the slag was leached with sulfuric acid also in isopropanol and n-pentanol, under the following conditions: 0.5 M H2SO4, pulp density 50 g/L, magnetic stirrer rotation speed 600 rpm. The influence of the duration and temperature of leaching milled (≤100 μm) copper smelter slag of the Balkhash copper smelter on the extraction of zinc into solution was investigated. It was found that the maximum zinc recovery into an aqueous solution was 75 ± 2% at 363 K and 210 min. Replacing water with isopropanol or n-pentanol led to an increase in zinc recovery to 82 ± 2% at 210 min and a lower temperature (353 K) than in an aqueous environment. An increase in temperature to 383 K during leaching in n-pentanol made it possible to extract 92 ± 2% of zinc. A shrinking core model was used to describe the kinetics of the zinc leaching process. It was found that the limiting stage of the process under all investigated conditions is the chemical leaching reaction. Some kinetic characteristics of the leaching process were calculated, in particular, the apparent reaction rate constants, as well as the activation energy.