Chemical pollution peculiarities of the Nadiya mine rock dumps in the Chervonohrad Mining District, Ukraine

Abstract

Purpose. The research purpose is to study the peculiarities of chemical pollution of the Nadiya mine rock dumps in the Chervonohrad Mining District, depending on the relief conditions and slope exposure, as well as to analyze the general trends in the distribution of chemical elements compared to the natural background. Methods. The chemical pollution differentiation of the Nadiya mine rock dumps at the level of ecotopes is studied on the basis of dispersion analysis; multidimensional ordination of ecotopes in the space of geochemical indicators – based on the Principle Component Analysis; a typological scheme of mine rock dump ecotopes is constructed based on discriminant analysis; statistical processing of chemical pollution parameters. Findings. It has been determined that the level of chemical pollution of the Nadiya mine rock dumps is characterized by significant heterogeneity even within the same slope exposure. Similarity in the distribution of chemical elements makes it possible to distinguish 6 of their associations, the main of which are I (Mg, Ca, S) and II (Al, Fe, K, Si). An analysis of the dependence between the chemical element concentrations indicates a close link between many parameters. It has been revealed that the closest dependence on the anthropogenic load intensity is demonstrated by such elements as Mg, Pb, Sn, Fe, Al, Cu, P, Ni, Zn. It has been determined that the difference between the ecotopes of different dump exposures is explained mainly by the level of Ca and Al concentration. Originality. It has been revealed for the first time that the Nadiya mine rock dumps of the Chervonohrad Mining District are characterized by an ecological space, which is assessed on the basis of the ordination of ecotopes on the axes of complex geochemical gradients of the environment. The typological scheme of mine rock dumps reflects the gradient of soil cover chemical pollution compared to the natural background. Practical implications. By determining the geochemical conditions of ecotopes in a certain period of time, it is possible to identify their position in the ecological-cenotic space of dump vegetation, as well as to predict the stability and possible changes in the vegetation cover as a result of various forms of anthropogenic impact.

Pollution Characteristics and Health Exposure Risks of Heavy Metals in River Water Affected by Human Activities

“…The previous studies had shown that the anthropogenic activities were associated with higher concentrations of heavy metals in the river [49][50][51]. In addition to agricultural activities and domestic sewage discharge, mining is one of the important sources of heavy metal pollutants [52,53], and the dumps located around abandoned mining sites are also potential sources of contamination [54][55][56]. In the BR basin, a variety of mineral resources such as copper, nickel, and polymetal are distributed, which may be one of the main reasons for the prominent heavy metal pollution in the river water of the basin under the runoff action.…”

Prompt determination of predictive parameters for mining-technogenic landscape objects

“…The dump covers an area of 24.07 hectares and stores 13.5 million tons of waste rocks. Thus, at a bulk density of 2.5 t/m 3 , they form an actual piled dump volume of 5.4 million m 3 . Study of the data for the area under the dump in Google Earth software shows a match with the actual 24.07 hectares, and the dump height data of 40 m is not comparable to the actual data, since the data is not publicly available.…”

“…Mining industry is the driving force in the development of the economies of many countries around the world, contributing significantly to foreign exchange budget revenues. However, the functioning of mining enterprises greatly pollutes the natural environment [1][2][3]. The upper earth crust layer suffers the greatest damage, since millions of cubic meters of minerals and waste rocks are removed from the depths by underground and surface methods, disturbing the natural balance and hydrogeological regimes of ground and surface waters [4,5].…”

Element Cycling at Thermally Active Coal-Waste Dumps: A Case Study of Calamagrostis epigejos and Solidago canadensis

“…Environmental problems are most often caused by facilities built in the previous century, at a time when less attention was paid to environmental issues. Numerous studies from around the world have shown the negative impact of mining waste on the environment through the distribution of microelements in soil and groundwater [14,15].…”