scholarly journals The development of a surrogate soil to assist the revegetation and stabilisation of metal-mine tailings

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Heather De-Quincey
Keyword(s):  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Abandoned Mines ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Metal Mine ◽  
Germination Trial ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Water Holding

Abandoned mines are considered among the most severe of environmental issues, and are a significant danger to environmental, animal, and human health (Mehta et al., 2020). To date, ~ 600,000 abandoned mines exist, the costly reclamation of which often falls to publicly funded bodies (Archer & Caldwell, 2004; Mayes et al., 2009). Traditional reclamation methods are financially unattainable at ~ £50 million per large mine (McKenna, 2002), and an alternative, lower-cost method is required (Garcia, 2008). One contemporary reclamation method found to be effective is that of capping mine waste with a soil cover (O’Kane & Ayres, 2012). In this research, an adhesive surrogate soil capping layer for the hydraulic application to steep-sided metal-mine tailings was developed at the cost of ~ £6 .m-² (at the time of writing). The surrogate soil was refined throughout a series of trials. A rainfall trial was conducted to develop an adhesive and erosion resistant soil material. A germination trial (N = 500) determined the soil materials which best assisted rapid plant establishment. The successful results of these laboratory-based trials guided a nine-month field trial on an abandoned Pb mine, Nantymwyn (UK) (N = 154). The field trial concluded that the surrogate soils effectively resisted erosion and supported the early (seven month) growth of metal-tolerant grass species. The grasses contained Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu concentrations at < 1% of the phytotoxic threshold. However, seasonal climatic events and a negative water balance ultimately led to complete grass mortality after nine months. Tailings bank destabilisation also influenced grass survival. The research revealed that the soil’s available water supply was of greater impact to plant survival than metal toxicity. The results indicated that should the soils water-holding capacity be improved, the application of a carefully designed surrogate soil has the potential to support vegetative cover on steep, bare metal-mine tailings.

USING MUNICIPAL BIOSOLIDS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER RESIDUALS TO RESTORE A VEGETATIVE COVER ON REA VY METAL MINE TAILINGS

2000 ◽  
Vol 2000 (1) ◽  
pp. 665-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally L. Brown ◽  
Charles L. Henry ◽  
Harry Compton ◽  
Rufus L. Chaney ◽  
Pamnella De Voider
Keyword(s):  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Metal Mine ◽  
Municipal Biosolids

Soil and Vegetation Pollution from an Abandoned Mining Area Situated in Hunedoara County, Romania

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Dinu ◽  
Eleonora Mihaela Ungureanu ◽  
Gabriela Geanina Vasile ◽  
Lidia Kim ◽  
Ioana Ionescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mine Waste ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Mining Area ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Dermal Absorption ◽  
Abandoned Mines ◽  
Emission Spectrometry ◽  
Metallic Elements ◽  
Vegetation Samples ◽  
Nickel Lead

The soils situated near the abandoned mines are highly polluted with metals due to the discharge and dispersion of mine waste into nearby air, water (surface and groundwater) and soil. Heavy metals may be transferred to humans through ingestion, inhalation or dermal absorption and can produce serious health problems affect the nervous, endocrine and immune systems, hematopoietic function and cellular metabolism. This paper investigates the presence of metallic elements from fourteen soil samples (seven sampling points) and thirty-six vegetation samples (different types of leaves, plants, roots and tree barks). The samples were collected from six different sites located in an abandoned mining area and from a point (blank sample) located 5 km in the SV direction of the quarry. The results obtained for soil samples show an overrun of the alert and / or intervention threshold for the following metals: arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc. The analytical investigation for vegetation samples indicated that concentration for calcium, magnesium, cadmium, chromium, manganese, nickel, lead, zinc were situated over the normal range in some samples. The analytical investigations were performed by optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The study�s conclusion indicates that, as result of soil acidic pH and high mobility of some metals, metallic elements migrate from soil to vegetation.

scholarly journals Potential Use of Organic- and Hard-Rock Mine Wastes on Aided Phytostabilization of Large-Scale Mine Tailings under Semiarid Mediterranean Climatic Conditions: Short-Term Field Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Santibañez ◽  
Luz María de la Fuente ◽  
Elena Bustamante ◽  
Sergio Silva ◽  
Pedro León-Lobos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Hard Rock ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Goat Manure ◽  
Site Rehabilitation

The study evaluated the efficacy of organic- and hard-rock mine waste type materials on aided phytostabilization of Cu mine tailings under semiarid Mediterranean conditions in order to promote integrated waste management practices at local levels and to rehabilitate large-scale (from 300 to 3,000 ha) postoperative tailings storage facilities (TSFs). A field trial with 13 treatments was established on a TSF to test the efficacy of six waste-type locally available amendments (grape and olive residues, biosolids, goat manure, sediments from irrigation canals, and rubble from Cu-oxide lixiviation piles) during early phases of site rehabilitation. Results showed that, even though an interesting range of waste-type materials were tested, biosolids (100 t ha-1dry weight, d.w.) and grape residues (200 t ha-1d.w.), either alone or mixed, were the most suitable organic amendments when incorporated into tailings to a depth of 20 cm. Incorporation of both rubble from Cu-oxide lixiviation piles and goat manure into upper tailings also had effective results. All these treatments improved chemical and microbiological properties of tailings and lead to a significant increase in plant yield after three years from trial establishment. Longer-term evaluations are, however required to evaluate self sustainability of created systems without further incorporation of amendments.

Determination of the concentration of asbestos minerals in highly contaminated mine tailings: An example from abandoned mine waste of Cretaz and Emarese (Valle d'Aosta, Italy)

2014 ◽  
Vol 99 (7) ◽  
pp. 1233-1247 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Gualtieri ◽  
S. Pollastri ◽  
N. B. Gandolfi ◽  
F. Ronchetti ◽  
C. Albonico ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Abandoned Mine

scholarly journals Frost susceptibility of Nordic metal mine tailings

2021 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 103394
Author(s):  
A. Tuomela ◽  
V. Pekkala ◽  
A. Rauhala ◽  
A. Torabi Haghighi ◽  
P. Leviäkangas
Keyword(s):  
Mine Tailings ◽  
Metal Mine

scholarly journals Production of Greener High-Strength Concrete Using Russian Quartz Sandstone Mine Waste Aggregates

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 5575
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Tolstoy ◽  
Valery Lesovik ◽  
Roman Fediuk ◽  
Mugahed Amran ◽  
Murali Gunasekaran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Strength Concrete ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Morphological Properties ◽  
Cement Matrix ◽  
Natural Activity ◽  
Strength Concrete ◽  
The Cost

Quartz sandstone (QS) is a mine waste; therefore, its use in construction allows for both reducing the cost of the concrete and contributing to the utilization of waste. The scientific originality of this study is the identification of models of the effect of QS aggregate on the physicomechanical, durability characteristics, and eco-safety of greener high-strength concrete. The study used an energy-efficient method of non-thermal effects of electromagnetic pulses on the destruction mechanisms of quartz-containing raw materials. The characteristics of quartzite sandstone aggregates, including the natural activity of radionuclides, were comprehensively studied. The features of concrete hardening, including the formation of an interfacial transition zone between the aggregate and the cement matrix, were studied, taking into account the chemical and morphological features of quartzite sandstone. In addition, the microstructural and morphological properties of concrete were determined after a 28 day curing. In this study, the behaviors of the concrete with QS aggregate were investigated, bearing in mind the provisions of geomimetics science on the affinity of structures. The results obtained showed that the QS aggregate had the activity of natural radionuclides 3–4 times lower compared to traditional aggregates. Efficient greener concrete with a 46.3 MPa compressive strength, water permeability grade W14, and freeze–thaw resistance of 300 cycles were also obtained, demonstrating that the performance of this greener concrete was comparable to that of traditional concrete with more expensive granite or gabbro diabase aggregates.

Changes in surface water quality after inundation of acid sulfate soils of different vegetation cover

Soil Research ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. G. Johnston ◽  
P. G. Slavich ◽  
P. Hirst
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Titratable Acidity ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Melaleuca Quinquenervia ◽  
Vegetative Cover ◽  
Acid Sulfate ◽  
Surface Water Chemistry ◽  
Short Period

Surface soils from an acid sulfate soil (ASS) backswamp were inundated in a temperature controlled environment and surface-water chemistry changes monitored. The soils had contrasting in situ vegetative cover [i.e. 2 grass species, Cynodon dactylon and Pennisetum clandestinum (Poaceae), and litter from Melaleuca quinquenervia (Myrtaceae)]. The different vegetation types had similar biomass and carbon content; however, there were large differences in the quality and lability of that carbon, which strongly influenced decay/redox processes and the chemical composition of surface waters. The grass species had more labile carbon. Their surface waters displayed rapid sustained O2 depletion and sustained low Eh (~0 mV), high dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and moderate pH (5–6). Their soil acidity was partially neutralised, sulfides were re-formed, and reductive dissolution of Fe(III) led to the generation of stored acidity in the water column as Fe2+(aq). In contrast, M. quinquenervia litter was high in decay-resistant compounds. Its surface waters had lower DOC and low pH (<4) and only underwent a short period of low O2/Eh. Soluble Al caused M. quinquenervia surface waters to have higher titratable acidity and soil pH remained consistently low (~3.8–4.0). Concentrations of Cl– and Al in surface waters were strongly correlated to initial soil contents, whereas the behaviour of Fe and SO42– varied according to pH and redox status. This study demonstrates that changes in vegetation communities in ASS backswamps that substantially alter either (a) the pool of labile vegetative organic carbon or (b) the concentration of acidic solutes in surface soil can have profound implications for the chemical characteristics of backswamp surface waters.

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