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Preliminaries on pollution risk factors related to mining and ore processing in the Cu-rich pollymetallic belt of Eastern Carpathians, Romania

  • Mining and the Environment - Understanding Processes, Assessing Impacts and Developing Remediation
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Abstract

The present study focuses on the mineralogical and geochemical patterns of mining and ore-processing wastes from some occurrences in the Eastern Carpathians; its aim is to identify the main factors and processes that could lead to the pollution of the environment. In this respect, the following types of solid waste were investigated: efflorescent salts developed on the surface of rock blocks from a quarry, ore-processing waste from two tailings ponds, and salt crusts developed at the surface of a tailings pond. The potential risks emphasized by these preliminary investigations are the following: (1) the risk of wind-driven removal and transport of the waste from the surface of tailings ponds, given that fine grains prevail (up to 80 %); (2) the risk of tailings removal through mechanical transport by water, during heavy rainfall; (3) the appearance of hydrated sulfates on the rock fragments from the mining waste, sulfates which are highly susceptible to the generation of acid mine drainage (pH < 4); (4) the high amount of toxic elements (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, As, etc.) that acid mine drainage leachates contain; and (5) the development of a salt crust on the flat, horizontal surfaces of the waste deposit, due to this very shape. Statistical data regarding the amount of both major and minor elements in the tailings have revealed two statistical populations for nearly all the toxic metals. This suggests that, beyond the effect that the tailings have upon the environment through their mere presence in a given area, there are alleged additional factors and processes which intensify the pollution: the location of the waste deposit relative to the topography of the area; the shape of the waste deposit; the development of low areas on the surface of the deposit, areas which favor the appearance of salt crusts; and the mineralogy of efflorescent aggregates.

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Acknowledgments

The author wishes to express his gratitude towards the following scientists, who provided him with both logistic support and knowledge, allowing him to complete the present study: Professor Jean-Hugues Thomassin (University of Poitiers, France), who helped with the XRD analyses performed on the tailings samples, and Associate Professor Nicolae Buzgar and Assistant Professor Mitică Pintilei (“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iaşi, Romania) for the EDXRF analyses. Special thanks are due to Professor Marek Michalik (Geological Institute of Jagiellonian, University of Kraków, Poland) for his support on SEM-EDS approach and the XRD analyses carried out on the clay fraction of the efflorescent aggregates. The author also thanks PhD student Marius Chicoş (“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University) for the geochemical maps of the tailings pond from Suha Valley. Last but not least, the author appreciates the reviewers’ commentaries and suggestions, which led to an obviously improved version of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Geology, University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” of Iaşi, 20A Carol I Bv, 700505, Iaşi, Romania

    Dan Stumbea

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  1. Dan Stumbea
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Correspondence to Dan Stumbea.

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Responsible editor: Vera Slaveykova

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Stumbea, D. Preliminaries on pollution risk factors related to mining and ore processing in the Cu-rich pollymetallic belt of Eastern Carpathians, Romania. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 7643–7655 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1656-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1656-3

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