Gaseous mercury evasion from bare and grass-covered soils contaminated by mining and ore roasting (Isonzo River alluvial plain, Northeastern Italy)

Floreani, Federico; Zappella, Valeria; Faganeli, Jadran; Covelli, Stefano

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120921

Cited by 5 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 150 publications

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“…As observed in other field studies (e.g. Coolbaugh et al 2002 ; Floreani et al, 2023 ), vegetation significantly reduces GEM release from enriched substrates compared to bare areas: this effect can be attributed to the reduction of solar radiation reaching the surface, which decreases the GEM generation rate through photoreduction (Liu et al 2014 ). Moreover, lower GEM emission under canopy shading may also be related to lower soil temperatures, which limit the diffusion of GEM to the atmosphere and can affect the rates of microbial reactions involved in Hg reduction (Mazur et al 2014 ; Yuan et al 2019 ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

“…As observed at other former Hg-mining sites, abandoned wastes and contaminated soils can represent relevant sources of this metal into the atmosphere even for decades after mining and metallurgical activities have ceased (e.g. Floreani et al, 2023 ; Higueras et al 2013 ; Loredo et al 2007 ; Nacht et al 2004 ; Yan et al 2019 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…9 ), characterised by high Hg concentration in the substrate (up to 56.9 mg/kg). Moreover, these measurements were taken during the period of maximum irradiation, at midday, when the enhanced formation of GEM through photoreduction and a following evasion is expected (Dalziel and Tordon 2014 ; Fantozzi et al 2013 ; Floreani et al, 2023 ; Kotnik et al 2005 ) also considering the lack of vegetation cover on the waste rock piles (Loredo et al 2007 ). As observed in other field studies (e.g.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental impact of potentially toxic elements on soils, sediments, waters, and air nearby an abandoned Hg-rich fahlore mine (Mt. Avanza, Carnic Alps, NE Italy)

Barago

Mastroianni

Pavoni

et al. 2023

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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The decommissioned fahlore Cu-Sb(-Ag) mine at Mt. Avanza (Carnic Alps, Italy) is a rare example of exploited ore deposits, as the tetrahedrite (Cu6[Cu4(Fe,Zn)2]Sb4S13) is the main ore mineral found. This multi-compartmental geochemical characterisation approach provides one of the first case studies regarding the geochemical behaviour and fate of Hg, Sb, As, Cu, and other elements in solid and water matrices and of Hg in the atmosphere in an environment affected by the mining activity of a fahlore ore deposit. Elevated concentrations of the elements (Cu, Sb, As, Pb, Zn, Hg) associated with both (Zn-Hg)-tetrahedrite and to other minor ore minerals in mine wastes, soils, and stream sediments were observed. Concentrations in waters and stream sediments greatly decreased with increasing distance from the mining area and the Igeo index values testify the highest levels of sediment contamination inside the mine area. Thallium and Ge were associated with the “lithogenic component” and not to sulfosalt/sulphide minerals. Although mine drainage water often slightly exceeded the national regulatory limits for Sb and As, with Sb being more mobile than As, the relatively low dissolved concentrations indicate a moderate stability of the tetrahedrite. The fate of Hg at the investigated fahlore mining district appeared similar to cinnabar mining sites around the world. Weak solubility but the potential evasion of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) into the atmosphere also appear to be characteristics of Hg in fahlore ores. Although GEM concentrations are such that they do not present a pressing concern, real-time field surveys allowed for the easy identification of Hg sources, proving to be an effective, suitable high-resolution indirect approach for optimising soil sampling surveys and detecting mine wastes and mine adits.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental impact of potentially toxic elements on soils, sediments, waters, and air nearby an abandoned Hg-rich fahlore mine (Mt. Avanza, Carnic Alps, NE Italy)

Barago

Mastroianni

Pavoni

et al. 2023

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…The MCHgMAP MME simulated air-land flux exchange will be evaluated against site-specific observations, and the budgets will be constrained with biome-specific data on Hg in vegetation, litterfall and throughfall. (Lei et al, 2021;Zhu et al, 2018;Osterwalder et al, 2019;Tao et al, 2017;Li et al, 2018a, b;Zhang et al, 2019a;Floreani et al, 2023) Currently, no long-term station measurements of Hg(0) fluxes from various terrestrial surfaces are available to evaluate modeled temporal trends; these are needed to improve the air-land Hg exchange budget estimates and to understand the kinetics of Hg(II)-Hg(0) redox chemistry and microbial processes in soils, particularly in the areas of global land use changes due to climate change and human activities. We recommend creating and maintaining an updated database of airvegetation-soil Hg exchange measurements, specifically network-based measurements using standardized methods, to understand the long-term trends and associated drivers.…”

Section: Air-land Flux Exchangementioning

confidence: 99%

The Multi-Compartment Hg Modeling and Analysis Project (MCHgMAP): Mercury modeling to support international environmental policy

Dastoor,

Angot,

Bieser

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Abstract. The Multi-Compartment Hg (mercury) Modeling and Analysis Project (MCHgMAP) is an international multi-model research initiative intended to simulate and analyze the geospatial distributions and temporal trends of environmental Hg to inform the effectiveness evaluations of two multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs): the Minamata Convention on Mercury (MC) and Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). This MCHgMAP overview paper presents its science objectives, background and rationale, experimental design (multi-model ensemble (MME) architecture, inputs and evaluation data, simulations and reporting framework), and methodologies for the evaluation and analysis of simulated environmental Hg levels. The primary goals of the project are to facilitate detection and attribution of recent (observed) and future (projected) spatial patterns and temporal trends of global environmental Hg levels, and identification of key knowledge gaps in Hg science and modeling to improve future effectiveness evaluation cycles of the MEAs. The current advances and challenges of Hg models, emission inventories, and observational data are examined, and an optimized multi-model experimental design is introduced for addressing the key policy questions of the MEAs. A common set of emissions, environmental conditions, and observation datasets are proposed (where possible) to enhance the MME comparability. A novel harmonized simulation approach between atmospheric, land, oceanic and multi-media models is developed to account for the short- and long-term changes in secondary Hg exchanges and to achieve mechanistic consistency of Hg levels across environmental matrices. A comprehensive set of model experiments is developed and prioritized to ensure a systematic analysis and participation of a variety of models from the scientific community.

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“…Environments 2023, 10, 187 2 of 21 remediation of contaminated sites [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]. Sánchez-Castro et al [36] gather an exhaustive review of the most important remediation techniques for sites impacted by heavy metals or PTEs, highlighting the following:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Solution to Avoid Mercury Emissions Produced by Highly Contaminated Demolition Debris in Mining Site

Rodríguez,

Hernández,

Fernández

et al. 2023

Environments

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Mercury (Hg) emissions into the air can in some cases be a critical problem for public health and environmental protection. Hence, it is crucial to find cost-effective solutions to tackle this issue. An innovative solution is presented in this study using two case studies, diminishing drastically the emissions through covering high Hg-contaminated debris with industrial subproducts (fly-ashes and blast furnace slags). This solution is compared with other two conventional alternatives: (1) removal of the debris to an authorized landfill and (2) in situ encapsulation. The analysis is carried out by comparing costs, carbon footprint and the Environmental–Social–Governance (ESG) impact. It has been noted that the solution proposed has some advantages with respect to conventional alternatives, from both economic and environmental points of view, presenting lower costs and a lower carbon footprint. The worst solution is to remove the debris for ex situ treatment, while the encapsulation represents a middle solution with advantages and disadvantages. The findings of the study can be a step forward in the usage of industrial subproducts, that are currently placed in waste disposal, to solve the problem of sites contaminated by mercury and eliminate its emissions.

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Gaseous mercury evasion from bare and grass-covered soils contaminated by mining and ore roasting (Isonzo River alluvial plain, Northeastern Italy)

Cited by 5 publications

References 150 publications

Environmental impact of potentially toxic elements on soils, sediments, waters, and air nearby an abandoned Hg-rich fahlore mine (Mt. Avanza, Carnic Alps, NE Italy)

Environmental impact of potentially toxic elements on soils, sediments, waters, and air nearby an abandoned Hg-rich fahlore mine (Mt. Avanza, Carnic Alps, NE Italy)

The Multi-Compartment Hg Modeling and Analysis Project (MCHgMAP): Mercury modeling to support international environmental policy

A Novel Solution to Avoid Mercury Emissions Produced by Highly Contaminated Demolition Debris in Mining Site

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