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pH Dependent Leaching Behavior of Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu and As from Mining Wastes and Slags: Kinetics and Mineralogical Control

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Abstract

From the Middle Ages until the beginning of the twentieth century, extensive Zn–Pb mining and smelting was carried out in East-Belgium. By lack of waste treatment techniques and sustainable management practices, metal-bearing slags and unprocessed waste were dumped in huge tailings, which still represent an important source of contamination. A chemical and mineralogical characterization of different types of mining waste originating from the former Pb–Zn mining industry was performed in order to gain a better understanding of the slag properties, with special attention to heavy metal release under varying pH conditions, and to bring this in relation to different management scenarios.

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  1. Geology, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001, Leuven, Belgium

    V. Cappuyns, V. Alian, E. Vassilieva & R. Swennen

  2. Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven, Warmoesberg 26, 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    V. Cappuyns

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Cappuyns, V., Alian, V., Vassilieva, E. et al. pH Dependent Leaching Behavior of Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu and As from Mining Wastes and Slags: Kinetics and Mineralogical Control. Waste Biomass Valor 5, 355–368 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-013-9274-3

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