Downstream patterns of bed sediment-borne metals, minerals and organic matter in a stream system receiving acidic mine effluent: A preliminary study

Ying, Ma; Lu, Wenzhou; Lin, Cheng‐Fang

doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2011.04.001

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Intensive mining of copper and iron ore at the mine started in the 1970s, but it has slowed down in recent years. Large amounts of mine tailings containing pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena are left exposed subject to rapid oxidation and release of metals (Ma et al, 2011 ). The Hengshi River flowing by the mine site originates in limestone terrain, and pH in the water was >8 before it joins the AMD-affected area downstream (Ma et al, 2011 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large amounts of mine tailings containing pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena are left exposed subject to rapid oxidation and release of metals (Ma et al, 2011 ). The Hengshi River flowing by the mine site originates in limestone terrain, and pH in the water was >8 before it joins the AMD-affected area downstream (Ma et al, 2011 ). A dam was built to hold the treated AMD water, and the treated water is then released into the Hengshi River.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Metal accumulations in aquatic organisms and health risks in an acid mine-affected site in South China

Chan

Routh

Luo

et al. 2021

Environ Geochem Health

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Metal contamination from base metal sulphide mines is a major environmental challenge that poses many ecological and health risks. We examined the metal concentrations in the Dabaoshan mine in South China in water, sediments, and aquatic organisms and their specific characteristics (i.e. size, body tissue, species, and habitat) along the Hengshi and Wengjiang River courses to assess acid mine drainage remediation efforts. Metal concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, thallium, and zinc were examined in tissues (i.e. gills, intestines, and muscles) of 17 freshwater species of fish, shrimps, and crabs. Metals in tissues followed the trend: intestines > gills > muscles; nearly all intestine samples exceeded the safe limits of metals analysed in this study. There is a positive correlation between distance from the mine and metal concentrations related to the flow of surface water and the habitat of aquatic organisms. The concentrations of arsenic, copper, and zinc were the highest in aquatic organisms, and the distribution was influenced by physical (distance from mine, currents, and seasonality), chemical (pH and competing ions), and biological (species, habitat, and predator–prey relation) factors. Large demersal fish and benthic fauna had higher concentrations of metals. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of metals, as well as the high metal pollution index and target hazard quotient (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, thallium, and zinc), occurred in bottom feeders (C. aumtus, X. argentea) and fish belonging to higher trophic levels (P. fulvidraco, O. mossambicus). Lead and cadmium indicated the highest level of biomagnification from prey to predator. Health risks exist from the dietary intake of common aquatic species such as tilapia and carp besides crustaceans due to high arsenic, cadmium, lead, and thallium levels. Further reduction of metals is necessary to improve the effects of acid mine drainage in the catchment.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metal accumulations in aquatic organisms and health risks in an acid mine-affected site in South China

Chan

Routh

Luo

et al. 2021

Environ Geochem Health

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“…Mean Pb concentrations at Ll5 were similar to rivers affected by drainage of waste rocks in Vietnam (Tarras Wahlberg and Nguyen, 2008) and at 16 km downstream of the mine sites in China (Ma et al, 2011;Lin et al, 2011). Additionally, Zn concentrations were similar to concentrations reported in rivers located 16 km downstream of a mine site (Lin et al, 2007) at rivers affected by drainage tailings (Tarras Wahlberg and Nguyen, 2008) and at the Pilcomayo river in Bolivia (Miller et al, 2004).…”

Section: Llapa Sub-basinsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Significant concentrations of chloride were found comparing with the other sub-basins, ranging from 6.6 to 12 mg/L (Table 4). Nevertheless, chloride concentrations found in rivers near mine sites reported concentrations one or two orders of magnitude higher (Ma et al, 2011;Luis et al, 2010).…”

Section: Alto Jequetepeque Sub-basinmentioning

confidence: 92%

Developing tools to evaluate the environmental status of Andean basins with mining activities

Yacoub López

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The water quality status of an Andean river basin was characterised and the pressures from anthropogenic activities were evaluated to enhance the available knowledge of the environment within an ecosystem in Peru. This investigation was conducted to assess the environmental status of the basin as a first step to introducing river management plans and specific water quality programmes. A continuous simulation model and an environmental monitoring program were developed, taking into account the European water framework directive (WFD) requirements. To prioritise the integrated water resources management (IWRM), an applied environmental model, the Soil and Water Assessment tool (SWAT) was used. The model was calibrated and validated for the Jequetepeque river basin using the SCE-UA algorithm and a relatively small amount of data (11 years). Five different cases of sub-basin discretisation were evaluated with and without a slope criterion. Very good hydrographs and statistics (NSE, RSR and PBIAS) were obtained for all cases. Environmental monitoring methods and tools for water quality evaluation were developed. The sources of contamination were identified and levels of contamination were quantified to evaluate pollution emissions. The degree of pollution by different substances, the associated risks, and the potential effects on aquatic life and human health were considered in the development of the tools and environmental monitoring methods. Water monitoring, sediment monitoring, and ecological monitoring, including a complementary effort to collect available data at the basin scale, were conducted in this study. The concentrations of trace elements were determined from the results of four water and sediment monitoring campaigns conducted between November 2008 and June 2010, and an ecological survey was evaluated. The results obtained from analysis of the water and sediment data indicated trace element pollution near mine sites, enabling us to quantify the impact of the mines on the Jequetepeque basin. Analysis of the water samples indicated that the most polluted water in the basin was located downstream from the Sipán SL Mine. The levels of Cr and As indicated adverse effects, whereas the levels of Al, Cd, Cu, Fe and Pb indicated significant effects on human health, mainly near the mining areas. Considering the lack of water facilities and trace element remediation in the region, special attention should be paid to regulatory policies and palliative countermeasures. Analysis of the sediment samples indicated that the most polluted sediment was located downstream from the Yanacocha Mine site and poses a significant threat to the environment in terms of Cd, Zn, Pb, and As pollution, regardless of the season. The sequential extraction analysis indicated higher mobility for Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Zn. Those trace elements are released to the water column depending on the environmental conditions. The kinetics of the most prevalent trace elements in the basin were also evaluated. A diffusion model and two first-order models were used successfully to describe the kinetic extraction of Cu, Pb, and Zn. These trace elements can be significant only under extremely acidic conditions (pH=1); this should be taken into account in the potential scenario of acid mine drainage. The Ecological Status of Andean Rivers protocol was used to assess the upper part of the Jequetepeque river basin. At all the reference sites, the water quality status was very good or good. Only the sites located near mines exhibited alterations in the water quality, confirming the trends observed in the water and sediment monitoring. This protocol, which is an easy-to-use and economical qualitative tool, has proven to be very useful in assessing significant trends in ecological pollution of the basin. Estado de la calidad del agua fue caracterizado y las presiones de las actividades antropogénicas fueron evaluadas en una cuenca andina con el fin de promover y mejorar el conocimiento del medio ambiente dentro de un enfoque eco-sistémico en el Perú. Esta investigación fue desarrollada como un primer paso para introducir planes de gestión de programas, específicamente de calidad del agua. Para ello, un modelo de simulación continua y un programa de vigilancia ambiental se han desarrollado teniendo en cuenta las exigencias de la Directiva Marco del Agua (DMA). La dinámica de la cuenca se caracteriza por la Herramienta de Evaluación de Suelo y Agua (SWAT). Los resultados obtenidos a partir del agua y datos de sedimentos visualizan la contaminación de elementos traza cerca de las minas y cuantificar el impacto en la cuenca, principalmente para As, Cd, Cu, Pb y Zn. El estado ecológico reportado fue bueno o muy bueno para todas las muestras. Sin embargo, los puntos localizados cerca de las minas mostraron alteraciones con las mismas tendencias observadas en los monitoreos de agua y sedimento.

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“…Environmental pollution by heavy metals from mine waste dumps is a global problem [10][11][12][13]. These studies have been prompted by the need to understand better the processes in the dispersal of heavy metals from such sites, and the resultant risks posed to both human and environmental health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of dispersion and chemical partitioning patterns of heavy metals in the Sar Cheshmeh porphyry copper deposit: geochemical data from mine waste, water and stream sediments

Keshavarzi

Moore

Sharifi

2013

International Journal of Environmental Studies

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The Sar Cheshmeh copper mine, located in the Urumieh-Dokhtar volcanic belt, is one of the largest porphyry copper deposits in Iran. This study examines transport and sediment-water partitioning of trace metals (Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Zn) in acid mine drainage (AMD) and water-sediment system. It is shown that waste dumps and tailings dam are major causes of AMD generation. An elevated level of heavy metals viz. Mo, Mn, Pb, Cr, Cd, Fe, Cu and base metals like Na, K in AMD-impacted water and sediments results from the metal leaching effect of AMD. Factor analysis identified three factors responsible for data structure explaining 86.07% of total variance in water samples. The distribution coefficient (K d ) values vary from 1.1 Â 10 6 for Fe to 5.1 Â 10 3 for Mn and increases in the sequence of Fe > Pb ≈ Al > Mo ≈ Sb > As > Cr > Sn > Cu > Ni ≈ Zn > Co ≈ Cd > Mn. The results of sequential extraction analysis indicate that among non-residual fractions, Fe-Mn oxides are most important for retaining trace metals in the sediments. Calculation of mobility factor (MF) shows that in the Sar Cheshmeh copper mine, the heavy metal MFs display the following decreasing trend: Cd > Mn > Co > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Sb > Al > As > Sn > Pb > Mo > Fe.

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Downstream patterns of bed sediment-borne metals, minerals and organic matter in a stream system receiving acidic mine effluent: A preliminary study

Cited by 15 publications

References 28 publications

Metal accumulations in aquatic organisms and health risks in an acid mine-affected site in South China

Metal accumulations in aquatic organisms and health risks in an acid mine-affected site in South China

Developing tools to evaluate the environmental status of Andean basins with mining activities

Evaluation of dispersion and chemical partitioning patterns of heavy metals in the Sar Cheshmeh porphyry copper deposit: geochemical data from mine waste, water and stream sediments

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