scholarly journals Assessment of Impacts of Acid Mine Drainage on Surface Water Quality of Tweelopiespruit Micro-Catchment, Limpopo Basin

Water Quality ◽  
10.5772/65810 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bloodless Dzwairo ◽  
Munyaradzi Mujuru
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Acid Mine Drainage ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Acid Mine

scholarly journals The influence of a high-density sludge acid mine drainage (AMD) chemical treatment plant on water quality along the Blesbokspruit Wetland, South Africa

Water SA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (1 January) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Lourenco ◽  
Chris Curtis
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Acid Mine Drainage ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
High Density ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Acid Mine

The Eastern Basin chemical acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment plant is one of the world’s largest high-density sludge (HDS) plants, and came into operation in August 2016. The plant is situated near the inoperative Grootvlei Mine in Springs, South Africa, and upstream of the Blesbokspruit Wetland, a former Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, now on the Montreux Record. Since being in operation it has had a major influence on surface water quality along the wetland area. The plant was constructed to mitigate the anticipated decant of AMD water from the abandoned Grootvlei Mine into the Blesbokspruit Wetland. Making use of the BACI (Before-After-Control-Impact) design, this study compares surface water quality of the Blesbokspruit upstream (control site) and downstream (impact site) of the treatment plant for 3-year periods before and after it came into operation. Quarterly water quality data (aluminium, ammonia, chloride, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, fluoride, iron, magnesium, manganese, nitrate, pH, phosphate, sodium and sulphate) from 2013–2019 were used for 5 historical Rand Water monitoring sites along the Blesbokspruit. The current HDS treatment process has negatively influenced conductivity, chloride, magnesium, sodium and sulphate levels downstream. Since the commissioning of the treatment plant, the levels of these parameters have increased significantly.  Notably, conductivity and sulphate have reached the management range defined as ‘unacceptable’ within the framework set out by the Blesbokspruit Forum (which is less stringent than the national guidelines for aquatic ecosystems), with potential impacts on salinization of the Vaal Barrage downstream. However, the significant reduction of iron, ammonia and phosphate concentrations downstream of the plant may be a combined beneficial effect of dilution by increased discharge from the plant and the wetland removing these contaminants. These results highlight the need for further research into possible secondary treatment and desalinisation mechanisms and the potential ecological and downstream water supply implications of increasing salinity within the area.

scholarly journals Recent developments in materials used for the removal of metal ions from acid mine drainage

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tebogo M. Mokgehle ◽  
Nikita T. Tavengwa
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Acid Mine Drainage ◽  
Metal Ions ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Acid Mine ◽  
Adsorption Capacities ◽  
Ion Imprinted ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ion Imprinted Polymers

AbstractAcid mine drainage is the reaction of surface water with sub-surface water located on sulfur bearing rocks, resulting in sulfuric acid. These highly acidic conditions result in leaching of non-biodegradeable heavy metals from rock which then accumulate in flora, posing a significant environmental hazard. Hence, reliable, cost effective remediation techniques are continuously sought after by researchers. A range of materials were examined as adsorbents in the extraction of heavy metal ions from acid mine drainage (AMD). However, these materials generally have moderate to poor adsorption capacities. To address this problem, researchers have recently turned to nano-sized materials to enhance the surface area of the adsorbent when in contact with the heavy metal solution. Lately, there have been developments in studying the surface chemistry of nano-engineered materials during adsorption, which involved alterations in the physical and chemical make-up of nanomaterials. The resultant surface engineered nanomaterials have been proven to show rapid adsorption rates and remarkable adsorption capacities for removal of a wide range of heavy metal contaminants in AMD compared to the unmodified nanomaterials. A brief overview of zeolites as adsorbents and the developent of nanosorbents to modernly applied magnetic sorbents and ion imprinted polymers will be discussed. This work provides researchers with thorough insight into the adsorption mechanism and performance of nanosorbents, and finds common ground between the past, present and future of these versatile materials.

scholarly journals Dynamics of changes in surface water quality indicators of the Western Bug River basin within Ukraine using GIS technologies

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Gopchak ◽  
Tetiana Basiuk ◽  
Ihor Bialyk ◽  
Oleg Pinchuk ◽  
Ievgenii Gerasimov
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Surface Water ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Ecological Condition ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Ecological Index ◽  
Gis Technologies

Abstract The environmental assessment of the surface water quality of the Western Bug River has been made using the system of classification quality of land surface water of Ukraine in accordance with the approved methodology, which allows comparing water quality of separate areas of water objects of different regions. The calculation of the environmental assessment of water quality has been carried according to three blocks: block of salt composition, block of trophic and saprobic (ecological and sanitary) indicators and block of indicators of content of specific toxic substances. The results are presented in the form of a combined environmental assessment, based on the final conclusions of the three blocks and consists in calculating the integral ecological index. Comprehensive studies of changes in the water quality of the Western Bug River have been conducted within the territory of Ukraine for a long-term period. The water quality of the river on the final values of the integral indicators of the ecological condition corresponded mainly to 4nd category of the 3rd class – the water is “satisfactory” by condition and “little polluted” by degree of purity (except for points of observation that located within the Volyn region, where the water quality corresponded to 3rd category and the 2nd class. It is “good” by condition and “fairly clean” by the degree of purity). Visualization and part of the analysis are performed using GIS technologies in the software of the ArcGIS 10.3.

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