Impact of acid mine drainages on surficial waters of an abandoned mining site

Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
M L García-LorenzoJosé Molina-Ruiz

Abstract

Weathering of sulphide minerals produces a great variety of efflorescences of soluble sulphate salts. These minerals play an important role for environmental pollution, since they can be either a sink or a source for acidity and trace elements. This paper aims to characterise surface waters affected by mining activities in the Sierra Minera of Cartagena-La Union (SE, Spain). Water samples were analysed for trace metals (Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, As and Fe), major ions (Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)) and anions (F(-), Cl(-), NO3 (-), CO3 (2-), SO4 (2-)) concentrations and were submitted to an "evaporation-precipitation" experiment that consisted in identifying the salts resulting from the evaporation of the water aliquots sampled onsite. Mineralogy of the salts was studied using X-ray diffraction and compared with the results of calculations using VISUAL MINTEQ. The study area is heavily polluted as a result of historical mining and processing activities that has produced large amount of wastes characterised by a high trace elements content, acidic pH and containing minerals resulting from the supergene alteration of the raw materials. The mineralogical study of the efflorescences obtained from waters shows that magnesium, zinc, iron and...Continue Reading

References

Mar 31, 1999·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·D K Nordstrom, C N Alpers
Nov 14, 2008·The Science of the Total Environment·T Maria Valente, C Leal Gomes
Feb 11, 2009·Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)·Yan ZhangMaozhe Chen
Apr 17, 2013·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Jose M NietoCarlos Ayora
Jul 3, 2013·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Fernando RullJesús Medina

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Citations

Mar 18, 2016·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Pablo L HiguerasLorenzo Reyes-Bozo
Sep 19, 2017·Environmental Science and Pollution Research International·Konstantinos KolliasAnthimos Xenidis
Jul 22, 2021·Environmental Geochemistry and Health·J Martínez-CarlosJ A Acosta

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