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Potential Impacts of Tailings and Tailings Cover Fertilization on Arsenic Mobility in Surface and Ground Waters

Sierra Rayne¹ and Kaya Forest²

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1. Water Treatment Technology Program, Thompson Rivers University
2. Department of Chemistry, Okanagan College

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Document Type:

Manuscript

Date:

Received 29 March 2008 21:32 UTC; Posted 31 March 2008

Subjects:

Chemistry, Earth & Environment

Tags:

• Mine tailings
• Arsenic mobilization
• phosphorus
• fertilizer
• mining
• environment

Abstract:

A number of mining sites worldwide, particularly gold mines, have tailings management facilities (TMFs) that contain high levels of arsenic. Current closed mine site regulatory agencies tend to prefer revegetation of TMFs as part of the mandated reclamation activities. At many sites, often in polar regions, vegetation is difficult to establish either directly on the tailings or on the coarse-rock covers due to nutrient poor soils, phytotoxicity problems, and/or a less than optimum climate. Addition of phosphorus-based fertilizers to the tailings and/or cover material is commonly considered in order to promote the revegetation process and – ideally – allow the site owners to discharge their closure duties as rapidly as possible. However, due to the similar geochemistry of arsenic and phosphorus oxyanion species, this type of mine closure strategy may have unintended consequences regarding arsenic mobility on and off the site. This document reviews the current state-of-the-art regarding mobilization of arsenic by phosphate ions, and identifies relevant risks and opportunities of using this information to better manage closed mine sites.

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1 comment

sekhar dmr on 20 February 2009 20:58 UTC

Dear Rayne,
Good article. P fertilization in the form of PROM may reduce or eliminate the problem. May see the following articles.

[1] Primary vegetative growth on an old tailings dam, Zawar mines
http://www.springerlink.com/content/w50823337126u32m/

[2] Phosphate rich organic manure as fertiliser
http://precedings.nature.com/documents/2411/version/1/html

Thanks,
DMR Sekhar.

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License:

This document is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

How to cite this document:

Rayne, Sierra and Forest, Kaya. Potential Impacts of Tailings and Tailings Cover Fertilization on Arsenic Mobility in Surface and Ground Waters. Available from Nature Precedings <http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2008.1740.1> (2008)

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