Exploring a new approach for assessing the fate and behavior of the tailings released by the Brumadinho dam collapse (Minas Gerais, Brazil)

Kobayashi, Hikari; Garnier, Jérémie; Mulholland, Daniel Santos; Quantin, Cécile; Haurine, Frédéric; Tonha, Myller; Joko, Caio; Olivetti, Diogo; Freydier, Rémi; Seyler, Patrick; Martinez, Jean‐Michel; Roig, Henrique Llacer

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.130828

Cited by 14 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…First, previous studies mainly adopted field investigations to analyze the ecological effects of pollution through water and sediment sampling and lacked continuous monitoring and mechanistic studies on the fate processes of loaded heavy metals. 1,9 As the research methodology and assessment methods were mainly dependent on ex situ active sampling, this may cause biased detection results due to changes in the sediment environment. 10,11 Furthermore, previous research predominantly addressed the metal flux released from sediments during environmental disturbances with less emphasis on the fate processes of heavy metal contaminants from water into sediments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The accidental release of industrial wastewater can have a severe impact on the health of the surrounding lake ecosystem . This short-term, intense load of heavy metal contaminants, from sources such as a mining tailings dam collapse or industrial wastewater discharge, can cause a rapid mortality of aquatic organisms and enrich lake sediments with large amounts of heavy metal contaminants, threatening the long-term safety of aquatic ecosystems. − Serving as the ultimate sink for metal contamination from surrounding residents, industries, and agriculture, lake sediments are also a potential source of metal contamination transmitted to the overlying water. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effects of heavy metal contaminants on the watershed aquatic ecosystem, as well as their sediment fate and ecological risk, have been extensively studied. , Nonetheless, two aspects have remained relatively unexplored in prior research. First, previous studies mainly adopted field investigations to analyze the ecological effects of pollution through water and sediment sampling and lacked continuous monitoring and mechanistic studies on the fate processes of loaded heavy metals. , As the research methodology and assessment methods were mainly dependent on ex situ active sampling, this may cause biased detection results due to changes in the sediment environment. , Furthermore, previous research predominantly addressed the metal flux released from sediments during environmental disturbances with less emphasis on the fate processes of heavy metal contaminants from water into sediments. The binding of these metals to sediment components bears substantial implications for the lake ecosystem and human health .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heavy Metal Fate from Water into Sediment and Its Risk Assessment: A Lesson from Cadmium

Shu,

Tang,

Cheng

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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Anthropogenic heavy metal emissions can severely impact lake ecosystems. However, the fate processes of heavy metals and their impact on the aquatic environment during acute input events are poorly understood. To address this, our study selected cadmium (Cd), the predominant metal contaminant in Baiyangdian lake sediments, as a model pollutant to simulate the fate processes within sediment microcosms. We examined the total Cd content and its fraction distribution within the sediment profile, revealing a substantial increase in the Cd content within the surface layer while also identifying its predominant presence in the exchangeable fraction and quantifying its mobilization index. Notably, the fated Cd resulted in a pronounced increase in the ratio of simultaneously extracted metals to acid-volatile sulfide in the 0 to −4 cm depth range, exceeding toxic thresholds for benthic organisms. By deploying diffusive gradients in thin films, we characterized variations in bioavailable Cd with depth. Results indicated that the surge in bioavailable Cd concentrations in the surface layer was facilitated by the simultaneous rise in the concentration of dissolved Cd in porewater and the exchangeable fraction in sediments. This study sheds light on the fate of heavy metals in the aquatic environment and their ecological consequences during acute input events.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Heavy Metal Fate from Water into Sediment and Its Risk Assessment: A Lesson from Cadmium

Shu,

Tang,

Cheng

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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“…More seriously, the IOTs dam is a potential safety hazard, threatening people’s safety, lives, and property. For instance, in 2019, an IOTs dam collapsed in Brazil caused 235 people death and 35 people missing . The management of IOT is still one of the major social issues worldwide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, in 2019, an IOTs dam collapsed in Brazil caused 235 people death and 35 people missing. 5 The management of IOT is still one of the major social issues worldwide. In China, the reserves of IOTs have reached approximately 5 billion tons, whereas less than 20% of them has been reused.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Iron Tailings from Yeshan Iron Deposit, Southwest Jiangsu, China: Implications for Potential Utilization

Yang,

Xie,

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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In this work, twenty-one core samples of tailings wastes were collected from Yeshan iron tailings pond in Jiangsu Province, China. The mineralogical−chemical properties of Yeshan iron ore tailings (IOTs) were investigated to explore potential utilization. Mineralogical investigations and mineral liberation analysis indicated that the iron tailings have complex texture and incomplete mineral liberation, suggesting further grinding can improve higher recovery. Yeshan IOTs accumulated much higher MgO originating from dolomite, therefore, it could be infeasible to utilize a large quantity of Yeshan IOTs as alternative raw meals for cement clinker or replace aggregates in concrete. 2D vertical distribution profiles created with the ordinary kriging method presented heterogeneous distributions of major elements, and the variation trends were inconsistent. The results obtained in this work provide insight for exploiting and reducing Yeshan IOTs.

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The Risk of Land Degradation in Areas Impacted by Tailings Mudflows: A Legal and Economic Assessment

de Carvalho Medeiros,

de Moura,

Navarro

et al. 2024

Land Degrad Dev

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Accidents involving tailings dams are threatening because of their potential impacts. In many countries, despite the existence of legislation the population lives with the insecurity of potential dam breaks. Using Minas Gerais state in Brazil as an example, the aforementioned insecurity applies to hundreds of tailings dams, specifically the Vargem Grande dam of Vale mining company. The area affected by a dam failure is set through legal‐administrative instruments called “flood patches.” The purpose of this study was to analyze these patches, using the Vargem Grande dam as example, and assess the possible land degradation impacts of a failure, focused on the flooded native vegetation. The assessment resorted to the VERA—Economic Valuation of Environmental Resources method. The results exposed the potential destruction of 200 ha of Atlantic Forest and 55 ha of Cerrado vegetation within the flood patches. However, the simulated outcomes also reveal a significant decline in the flood patches in a short period (from 4.60 km2 in 2022 to 3.05 km2 in 2023), related with dam‐decommissioning risk‐reduction works allegedly implemented or to be implemented by the mining company. This reduction can be misleading because decommissioning works are legal‐administrative issues frequently used by the mining companies to minimize their responsibilities in the case of tailings dam breakup. It is worth mentioning that the patch reduction led to a convenient drop in the VERA results, from nearly 74 to 53 million dollars. Therefore, the official protocol used to delineate the flood patches must be improved to allow a more realistic evaluation. In that regard, the changes to flood patches overtime must be better defined in the legislation, namely through inclusion of potentially affected soil‐ and water‐bearing ecosystem services. Effective monitoring of dam‐decommissioning works is also paramount for a true evaluation of land degradation in the impacted areas.

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Exploring a new approach for assessing the fate and behavior of the tailings released by the Brumadinho dam collapse (Minas Gerais, Brazil)

Cited by 14 publications

References 31 publications

Heavy Metal Fate from Water into Sediment and Its Risk Assessment: A Lesson from Cadmium

Heavy Metal Fate from Water into Sediment and Its Risk Assessment: A Lesson from Cadmium

Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Iron Tailings from Yeshan Iron Deposit, Southwest Jiangsu, China: Implications for Potential Utilization

The Risk of Land Degradation in Areas Impacted by Tailings Mudflows: A Legal and Economic Assessment

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