Objective
- To assess the environmental impact of sulphide mining activities in view of the leaching of sulphide related elements such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Cd from mine tailing.
- The project has provided a comprehensive picture of the environmental situation around mining sites in the Mediterranean region.
- Together with the deepened understanding of the related processes, this has provided a better base for any management decisions and land use activities in these areas, including agricultural or horticultural use of contaminated soils.
- A model to calculate the transport of metals from mineral waste in the Limni Mine area, Cyprus to the Chrysochou bay has been developed. Model calculations show that the bulk of copper transported to the bay is particulate, and chemically inert. Cadmium on the other hand is transported mainly in chemically active form. The model is capable of reproducing reasonably well the measured sediment composition of the Limni stream. Model calculations further show that the water composition with respect to dissolved constituents at the mouth of the Limni stream is fairly constant, mainly due to the very high alkalinity of the headwater (7-7.5 meq/1), which is capable of neutralising large quantities of acid mine drainage water. Therefore, the pH of the Limni water at the point where it enters the sea is always (in the calculation) among 7.9 and 8.35. In the period following a (simulated) rainfall event of 200 mm in the mountains east of the Limni mine, about 2 tons of copper are transported to the Chrysochou bay from the Limni stream alone.
- The soils occurring in the vicinity of the Limni mine mineral waste in which wheat and peanut are cultivated are markedly polluted with Cn, Zn, Cd, Mo, Se, As and Cd.
- Significant toxic metal enrichments were found in cultivated plants.
- Of the metals related to the toxic solid waste Cd, Si, Cu and Fe accumulate in a higher degree in the roots than in the remaining parts of the plant. By contrast, Zn and Mn accumulate in a higher degree in the upper part of the plant than in the roots.
- It is revealed that large quantities of mineral waste were dispersed on the beach being a constant source of toxic metals to the marine environment. Copper and Zn are markedly enriched at the seawater beach interface whereas As is mostly enriched at the upper zone of the beach.
- Pyrite content in the Limni Mine beach reaches 65.4%, while at 200m offshore, it reaches the value of 24%.
- The acid mine drainage waters of the tailings contain significant amounts of Fe, Cu, Zn and S indicating the continuous release of these elements from the mining tailings during the wet season and their dispersion in the surrounding area.
- The coastal seawaters are enriched in dissolved Fe, Zn and Cu relative to eastern Mediterranean seawaters indicating that the released Fe, Cu and Zn from the mining tailings reach the marine environment.
- In the seafloor sediments, significant amounts of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb and Ni are present in the acetic acid soluble fraction indicating that they are loosely held in the sediments. It is therefore implied that significant amounts of the above metals have recently accumulated on the seafloor.
- A large part of the bay is influenced by the chemical weathering of the waste since it is covered by sediments rich in metals identical to those encountered in the waste (i.e. Cu, Pb, Co, Mn, Zn).
- The stream sediment analysis showed that the streams Argaki Limni and Argaki Karioulasi are the main paths through which significant amounts of metals such as Cd, Cu, Ni, Cr, Zn are dispersed away from the waste mounds.
- Significant enrichments of Cd, Cu, Ni, Cr and Zn were located in the stream sediments very close to the coast.
- The EDTA leaching analysis have shown that the above metals are easily removable from the sediments. Therefore, they enter the surrounding soils during the wet season in the soluble form. In addition, they may enter the marine environment both incorporated in the transported sediments and in the dissolved form.
Follow-up
Since it has been revealed that the chemical weathering of the mineral waste affected a large part of the surrounding mining area including areas where food production takes place, it is proposed to carry out research towards :
- The remediation of all areas where food production takes place such as the soils and the coastal zone and offshore area;
- The prevention of further weathering of mineral waste, the degree of which increases very rapidly;
- The detail determination of the quantities of toxic metals taken by the population with their food;
- The dispersion of toxic metals by dust to the urban environment, marine and agricultural environment;
- The determination of the influence of the bad quality of seawater related to the weathering of mineral waste on the seafood and the fish.
- Geochemical mapping of the distribution of sulphide related elements such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Cd around the mine tailings;
- Chemical and mineralogical analysis of mine tailings in order to determine the input of metals in the surrounding environment;
- Soil analysis with regard to heavy metal content, water movement and absorption of metals in sediments;
- Study of the uptake of metals by plants (root vegetables), growing in the neighbourhood of the tailings and modelling of heavy metal distribution in soils and streams;
- Modelling the behaviour of metals in streams (water and sediments);
- Sampling of sea water, sediments and beach sands at coasts close to mining activities.
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Coordinator
26110 PATRAS
Greece
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