The planting of trees on mine wastelands is an effective, long-term technique for phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated wastes. In this study, a pot experiment with seedlings of Koelreuteria paniculata under six treatments of local mine wastes was designed to determine the major constraints on tree establishment and to evaluate the feasibility of planting K. paniculata on manganese mine ...

The successful establishment of revegetation using native plants is crucial to help phytostabilization of mine tailings. To assess arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) pollution levels and the feasibility of using native plants in rehabilitation of mine areas, a preliminary investigation was conducted to measure As and Cu in mine wastes and native plants at Telfer Gold Mine. The top layer of soil/mine ...

Article history: Received: 11.11.2014. Received in revised form: 4.2.2015. Accepted: 6.2.2015. The disposal of mine tailings is identified as one source of an environmental impact finally resulting in a typically degraded ecosystem. It can easily cause air and water pollution and is a source of man-made mudslides with high-potential socioeconomic-energy impacts. Pollution control and ecological...

Tree water uptake relies on well-developed root systems. However, mine wastes can restrict root growth, in particular metalliferous mill tailings, which consist of the finely crushed ore that remains after valuable metals are removed. Thus, water stress could limit plantation success in reclaimed mine lands. This study evaluates the effect of substrates varying in quality (topsoil, overburden, ...

This study was carried out for the purpose of investigating the issue of tailings dams as a potential source of contamination by trace elements in soils at the Sidi Bou Othmane mine in the Marrakech Region, Morocco. Soil samples taken from depths of up to 15 cm and within a radius of 50 m from the tailings dams, were analyzed for Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn using atomic absorption spectrometry. Average c...

The Lechang lead/zinc (Pb/Zn) mine and Dabao Shan copper (Cu) mine are located at the north of Guangdong Province in southern China. The residual tailings were permanently stored in tailings ponds which required revegetation to reduce their impact on the environment. A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using Vetiveria zizanioides (vetiver) and Phragmities australis (...

How Mining Releases Toxic Metals Large amounts of waste rock and tailings contaminated with toxic metals can be produced by mine sites. In the case of the Donlin Creek mine, there are only 0.072 ounces of gold for every ton of ore, a figure that does not take into account the waste rock. Toxic substances contained within the rock and tailings are more easily released once these substances are p...

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Wind erosion, transport and deposition of windblown dust from anthropogenic sources, such as mine tailings impoundments, can have significant effects on the surrounding environment. The lack of vegetation and the vertical protrusion of the mine tailings above the neighboring terrain make the tailings susceptible to wind erosion. Modeling the erosion, transport and deposition of particulate matt...

Mining operations are potential sources of airborne particulate metal and metalloid contaminants through both direct smelter emissions and wind erosion of mine tailings. The warmer, drier conditions predicted for the Southwestern US by climate models may make contaminated atmospheric dust and aerosols increasingly important, due to potential deleterious effects on human health and ecology. Dust...