AI Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how increasing pH levels affect the mobility of contaminants in acid mine drainage by simulating seawater mixing in the laboratory.
- As pH rises, concentrations of harmful elements like Al, Fe, As, Cu, and REY decrease significantly, with specific precipitation processes removing contaminants.
- However, higher pH leads to the instability of certain compounds, causing previously trapped arsenic to re-enter the solution, ultimately resulting in toxic elements flowing into the Atlantic Ocean and posing environmental risks to coastal areas.
Article Abstract
This research reports the effects of pH increase on contaminant mobility in acid mine drainage from the Iberian Pyrite Belt by seawater mixing in the laboratory, simulating the processes occurring in the Estuary of Huelva (SW Iberian Peninsula). Concentrations of Al, Fe, As, Cu and REY in mixing solutions significantly decreased with increasing pH. Schwertmannite precipitation at pH 2.5-4.0 led to the total removal of Fe(III) and As. Subsequently, iron-depleted solutions began to be controlled by precipitation of basaluminite at pH 4.5-6.0, which acted as a sink for Al, Cu and REY. Nevertheless, as the pH rises, schwertmannite becomes unstable and releases back to solution the previously retained As. Moreover, other elements (S, Zn, Cd, Ni and Co) behaved conservatively in mixing solutions with no participation in precipitation processes. Some toxic elements finally end up to the Atlantic Ocean contributing to the total pollutant loads and environmentally threatening the coastal areas.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114491 | DOI Listing |
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