The mining industry suppresses vegetation, exposing large soil areas in its ordinary operation. Water pollution and turbidity are caused by the carrying of solids, mainly colloidal particles, to the watercourses due to the effect of rainfall events. Therefore, the discharge of those effluents will lead to failure with watercourse quality parameters. Thus, there is a need to treat drainages (rainwaters) from the mining industry. However, using common coagulants and flocculants can result in acute or chronic ecotoxicity for aquatic biota. In this scenario, this research aimed to evaluate using a natural coagulant, the biopolymer Chitosan, to remove turbidity from mining industry spoiled water through bio-coagulation. The ecotoxicity of the natural coagulant was compared to the commonly used coagulants. For this purpose, we used synthetic rainwater (SRW) from the dispersion of fine (colloidal) particles in natural waters. Materials (water and soil) were collected in the mining area's sumps (sedimentation basins). The turbidity of the produced SRW ranged from between 500 and 4000 NTU. Jar Tests using Chitosan (CTS), polyaluminum chloride (PAC®12), and Superfloc®N100 variable doses were carried out to compare the effects of the coagulating/flocculating agents on the SRW turbidity reduction. The obtained results demonstrated the efficiency of CHS on turbidity reduction. The results were encouraging for low turbidity samples (<1000 NTU), making it possible to meet the limit parameters recommended by the Brazilian legislation. In addition, it was possible to conclude both CHS and the effluents treated with this coagulant have lower toxicity to aquatic biota than the combination of PAC®12 and Superfloc®N100.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168900 | DOI Listing |
Front Physiol
December 2024
School of Industrial Management and Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 4PG, United Kingdom.
Ancient texts and archaeological evidence indicate substantial lead exposure during antiquity that potentially impacted human health. Although lead exposure routes were many and included the use of glazed tablewares, paints, cosmetics, and even intentional ingestion, the most significant for the nonelite, rural majority of the population may have been through background air pollution from mining and smelting of silver and lead ores that underpinned the Roman economy. Here, we determined potential health effects of this air pollution using Arctic ice core measurements of Roman-era lead pollution, atmospheric modeling, and modern epidemiology-based relationships between air concentrations, blood lead levels (BLLs), and cognitive decline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Geochem Health
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, College of Sciences, King Saud University, 11451, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The effect of open-pit bauxite mining on beach sediment contamination in the urban coastal environment of Kuantan City, Malaysia, was investigated. The contents of 11 heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe, As, Ni, Cr, and Ag) in 30 samples from Kuantan beach sediment zones (supratidal, intertidal, and subtidal) were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry followed by contamination indexes, Pearson's correlation analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA). The results indicated that Cd, As, Ni, and Ag values in beach sediment zones were significantly higher compared to background values.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
December 2024
Centre for Settlements Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Galamsey is a Ghanaian jargon from the phrase "gather and sell," coined from how gold was mined with simple tools by natives and sold afterwards. Despite its socio-economic benefits, a significant upsurge in galamsey has been widely associated with significant environmental impacts viz, destruction of aquatic ecosystems and ecosystems services. This paper discuses impacts of galamsey on aquatic ecosystems and ecosystem services using the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework in combination with the quantitative defensible impact characterization approach to establish the cause-and-impact relationships between pollutants associated with galamsey, the extent to which aquatic ecosystems and ecosystem services are impacted while answering the questions what is happening to the environment and why it is happening (compilation and analysis of status and trends of key environmental indicators) and what the consequences are for the environment (analysis of impacts of environmental change on ecosystem services).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
December 2024
Department of Information and Industrial Management, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., P.O. Box 1983963113, Tehran, Iran.
Product refurbishment enhances waste minimization and environmental sustainability. However, the sale of these products relies on consumer attitudes, influenced by various factors. This study adopts a novel mixed-methods approach, utilizing structural and network analysis based on over 60,000 comments and tweets from X.
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