Copper release from waste rocks in an abandoned mine (NE, Brazil) and its impacts on ecosystem environmental quality.

This study aimed to estimate the impact of an abandoned copper (Cu) mine on ecosystem environmental quality, using integrated ecological and biogeochemical analyses. Through a controlled experiment, the amount of Cu released by waste rocks, Cu adsorbed in soils, Cu geochemical behaviour and its leached amount were measured. Furthermore, to investigate the impacts of mine drainage on the adjacent ecosystem, samples of sediments, water and aquatic macroinvertebrates were analysed.