Search results for "Tailings"
showing 10 items of 15 documents
Epifaunal and infaunal responses to submarine mine tailings in a Norwegian fjord.
2019
Abstract Disposal of mine tailings in marine shallow water ecosystems represents an environmental challenge, and the present paper reports results from a field study in Fraenfjorden, Norway, which is subject to such disposal. Structural and functional responses of benthic infauna and epifauna were investigated along a gradient from heavy tailings deposition to reference conditions. The tailings clearly impacted the faunal composition, with lowered species number close to the outfall. Total abundance of infauna increased in the most impacted area due to dominance of opportunistic species, whereas the epifauna was reduced and represented by a few scattered specimens only. In the most impacted…
Heavy metal uptake by plants from wastewater of different pulp concentrations and contaminated soils
2021
There is a lack of information on the extent of mineral extraction by plants from wastewater in arid and semi-arid environments in developing countries. This research assesses the performance of Alhagi and Mallow plant species for the absorption of heavy metals around the tailings dam of a copper mine in Iran. The industrial wastewater, known as the pulp, from the copper mine site has different concentrations of heavy metals. In a laboratory setting the plants were cultivated and irrigated with different pulp concentrations (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%) in water. Heavy metals (chromium, manganese, cadmium, and lead) accumulation in the aerial parts and roots of the plants, and the in-situ s…
Bacterial diversity associated with poplar trees grown on a Hg-contaminated site: Community characterization and isolation of Hg-resistant plant grow…
2018
International audience; Industrial waste dumps are rarely colonized by vegetation after they have been abandoned, indicating biological infertility. Revegetation of industrial tailings dumps is thus necessary to prevent wind erosion, metal leaching and has been shown to restore soil functions and ecosystem services. However, little is known about the microbial colonization and community structure of vegetated tailings following the application of restoration technologies. In this study, we investigated the rhizosphere and phyllosphere bacterial communities of a poplar tree plantation within a phytomanagement-based restoration program of a Hg-contaminated site. We used Illumina-based sequenc…
Influence of Altered Microbes on Soil Organic Carbon Availability in Karst Agricultural Soils Contaminated by Pb-Zn Tailings.
2018
Soil organic carbon (SOC) availability is determined via a complex bio-mediated process, and Pb-Zn tailings are toxic to the soil microbes that are involved in this process. Here, Pb-Zn-tailings- contaminated karst soils with different levels (paddy field > corn field > citrus field > control group) were collected to explore the intrinsic relationship between Pb-Zn tailings and microbes due to the limited microbial abundance in these soils. The SOC concentration in the paddy fields is the highest. However, based on the soil microbial diversity and sole-carbon-source utilization profiles, the rate of SOC availability, McIntosh index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpson’s diversi…
Screening for new accumulator plants in potential hazards elements polluted soil surrounding Peruvian mine tailings
2016
Abstract Tailings usually provide an unfavorable substrate for plant growth because of their multi-stress environment. Plants growing on naturally metal-enriched soils are of particular interest in this perspective, since they are genetically tolerant to high metal concentrations and have an excellent adaptation to extreme conditions. Soil and plant samples were taken in Peru, at a polymetallic mine (mainly Ag, Pb and Cu) in Cajamarca Province, Hualgayoc district. Top soils (0–20 cm) were analyzed for physical and chemical properties by standard methods. Total As, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations in top soils were determined by ICP–OES. Similar metals in plants were analyzed separately (aerial …
Spatial variability of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) mineralisation potential at a millimetre scale in soil
2003
Abstract We analysed the ability of soil units of millimetre size to mineralise a herbicide, 2,4-D, using incubations of individual aggregates (2–7 mm diameter) and 6×6×6 mm 3 cubes dissected from soil cores, under standard conditions. Mineralisation of 14 C-ring labelled 2,4-D was measured using a barite paper trap and a Phosphorimager to record the evolved 14 C-CO 2 from these very small soil samples. We found a large variability of 2,4-D mineralisation potential between aggregate size classes, between individual aggregates of the same size and between the different dissected cubes from a given core. We explained this variability by an uneven distribution of the degrading microorganisms a…
Trace metal(loid) mobility in waste deposits and soils around Chadak mining area, Uzbekistan
2017
Abstract The assessment of potential trace metal(loid) contamination in tailing dumps and soils was characterized in the Chadak mining area (Uzbekistan). Concentrations of trace elements (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, Pb) were determined by X-ray fluorescence analysis and compared with background and intervention values (IV). The concentrations of As, Zn, Sb, and Pb were higher in the abandoned than in the active tailing dump, ranging from 42–1689 mg/kg for As, 73–332 mg/kg for Zn, 14–1507 mg/kg for Sb, and 27–386 mg/kg for Pb. Selective extractions were applied in order to assess the mobility and availability of trace metal(loid)s in samples. Oxyanion-forming elements such as As and S…
Spontaneous ecological recovery of vegetation in a red gypsum landfill: Betula pendula dominates after 10 years of inactivity
2019
International audience; Red gypsum is the product of the neutralization of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) extraction residue from ilmenite and anatase. The disposal of red gypsum creates heterogeneous plots with layers that may include Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, Mn, S, and other elements and an alkaline pH that makes revegetation complicated and slow. The vertical and horizontal dispersion of the sediment particles are the main concern. Therefore, the establishment of precise vegetation cover is needed to address this issue. One of the aims of this study was (1) to explore the distribution of the spontaneous vegetation found along a red gypsum-formed landfill located at the Ochsenfeld site in eastern France…
Vertical Distribution and Speciation of Trace Metals in Weathering Flotation Residues of a Zinc/Lead Sulfide Mine
2007
Sulfide-bearing mine tailings are a serious environmental problem around the world. In this study, the vertical distribution and speciation of Zn and Pb in the fine-grained flotation residues of a former sulfide ore mine in Germany were investigated to assess the inorganic weathering processes that effect the environmental risk arising from this site. Total metal contents were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). Mobilizable fractions of Zn, Pb, Fe, and Mn were quantified by sequential chemical extractions (SCE). Furthermore, the speciation of Zn was analyzed by Zn K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) to identify the residual Zn species. The v…
Macrofaunal colonization of mine tailings impacted sediments
2020
An experiment was conducted to study and compare macrofaunal colonization of thin layers of mine tailings. Experimental boxes filled with marine sediments capped with mine tailings were placed on the seabed and subject to colonization for six and twelve months. Three Norwegian mine tailings, representative of major production processes, were used. In addition, one set of boxes served as control and was not treated with tailings. The layer thickness of the tailings was supposed to represent the thickness in the transition zone between the sea deposit itself and unaffected sediments. The most fine-grained tailings, which also contained flotation chemicals, showed a significantly lower coloniz…