At a 50-year-old coal mine drainage barrens in central Pennsylvania, USA, we evaluated the biogeochemistry of acidic, Fe(III)oxy(hydr)oxide precipitates in reclaimed plots and compared them to untreated precipitates in control areas. Reclaimed plots supported successional vegetation that became established after a one-time compost and lime treatment in 2006, while control plots supported biological crusts. Precipitates were sampled from moist yet unsaturated surface layers in an area with lateral subsurface flow of mine drainage above a fragipan. Fe(II) concentrations were three- to five-fold higher in reclaimed than control precipitates. Organically bound Fe and amorphous iron oxides, as fractions of total Fe, were also higher in reclaimed than control precipitates. Estimates of Fe-reducing and Fe-oxidizing bacteria were four- to tenfold higher in root-adherent than both types of control precipitates. By scaling up measurements from experimental plots, total Fe losses during the 5-yr following reclamation were estimated at 45 t Fe ha(-1) yr(-1).
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2013.08.033 | DOI Listing |
Materials (Basel)
December 2024
Sustainable Mining Engineering Research Group, Department of Mining, Mechanic, Energetic and Construction Engineering, Higher Technical School of Engineering, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain.
This article shows the behavior of the corrosive effect of acid mine water on carbon steel metal alloys. Mining equipment, composed of various steel alloys, is particularly prone to damage from highly acidic water. This corrosion results in material thinning, brittle fractures, fatigue cracks, and ultimately, equipment failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroorganisms
November 2024
Department of Biology, University Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy.
is a Gram-negative bacterium that thrives in extreme acidic conditions. It has emerged as a key player in biomining and bioleaching technologies thanks to its unique ability to mobilize a wide spectrum of elements, such as Li, P, V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Mo, W, Pb, U, and its role in ferrous iron oxidation and reduction. catalyzes the extraction of elements by generating iron (III) ions in oxic conditions, which are able to react with metal sulfides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaterials (Basel)
December 2024
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, 11120 Belgrade, Serbia.
Copper flotation tailings (FTs), resulting from the separation and beneficiation processes of ores, are a significant source of environmental pollution (acid mine drainage, toxic elements leaching, and dust generation). The most common disposal method for this industrial waste is dumping. However, due to their favorable physical and chemical properties-the high content of aluminosilicate minerals (60-90%)-flotation tailings can be effectively treated and reused through geopolymerization technology, thereby adding value to this waste.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcotoxicol Environ Saf
January 2025
SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Theoretical Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address:
Mining activities produce large quantities of tailings and acid mine drainage, which contain varieties of heavy metals, thereby affecting the downstream farmland soils and crops. Heavy metals could induce antibiotic resistance through co-selection pressure. However, the profiles of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the mining-affected farmland soils and crops are still unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
November 2024
Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hadimkoy Campus, Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa, 34500, Istanbul, Turkiye.
One of the challenges encountered in mining is acid mine drainage (AMD) in sulphurous ores in response to rainfall and groundwater. CPB one of the most prevalent waste management systems addresses this issue today. Nevertheless, in the long term, the concretion in CPB may become ineffective because of external factors, such as groundwater and rainfall.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!