Radiological aspects of red mud disaster in Hungary

Kovács, Tibor; Sas, Zoltán; Jobbágy, Viktor; Csordás, Anita; Szeiler, G.; Somlai, J.

doi:10.2478/s11600-013-0113-5

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Post-spill studies assessed the presence of radionuclides in the red mud and the effective dose of red mud collected from floodplain areas, as well as in situ monitoring of radon concentrations. Analysis of the spill material showed activity concentrations for 238 U, 236 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K below the prescribed clearance levels [25].…”

Section: Soils and Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The assessments of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) in the red mud highlighted a potentially higher external or internal (if inhaled) dose as a result of gamma emitting radionuclides [25]. However, the authors cautioned that this modest increase in exposure risk is negligible when compared to average annual background radiation [25].…”

Section: Receptors: Assessing the Risks Associated With The Spill Humansmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Advances in Understanding Environmental Risks of Red Mud After the Ajka Spill, Hungary

Mayes

Burke

Gomes

et al. 2016

J. Sustain. Metall.

124

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In the 5 years since the 2010 Ajka red mud spill (Hungary), there have been 46 scientific studies assessing the key risks and impacts associated with the largest single release of bauxite-processing residue (red mud) to the environment. These studies have provided insight into the main environmental concerns, as well as the effectiveness of remedial efforts that can inform future management of red mud elsewhere. The key immediate risks after the spill were associated with the highly caustic nature of the red mud slurry and fine particle size, which once desiccated, could generate fugitive dust. Studies on affected populations showed no major hazards identified beyond caustic exposure, while red mud dust risks were considered equal to or lesser than those provided by urban dusts of similar particle size distribution. The longer-term environmental risks were related to the saline nature of the spill material (salinization of inundated soils) and the release and the potential cycling of oxyanion-forming metals and metalloids (e.g., Al, As, Cr, Mo, and V) in the soil-water environment. Of these, those that are soluble at high pH, inefficiently removed from solution during dilution and likely to be exchangeable at ambient pH are of chief concern (e.g., Mo and V). Various ecotoxicological studies have identified negative impacts of red mud-amended soils and sediments at high volumes (typically [5 %) on different test organisms, with some evidence of molecularlevel impacts at high dose (e.g., genotoxic effects on plants and mice). These data provide a valuable database to inform future toxicological studies for red mud. However, extensive management efforts in the aftermath of the spill greatly limited these exposure risks through leachate neutralization and red mud recovery from the affected land. Monitoring of affected soils, stream sediments, waters and aquatic biota (fungi, invertebrates and fish) have all shown a very rapid recovery toward prespill conditions. The accident also prompted research that has also highlighted potential benefits of red mud use for critical raw material recovery (e.g., Ga, Co, V, rare earths, inform), carbon sequestration, biofuel crop production, and use as a soil ameliorant.

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Section: Soils and Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Receptors: Assessing the Risks Associated With The Spill Humansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Understanding Environmental Risks of Red Mud After the Ajka Spill, Hungary

Mayes

Burke

Gomes

et al. 2016

J. Sustain. Metall.

124

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“…75,87,[129][130][131] Most bauxite will contain low levels of radioactive elements ( 238 U and 232 Th and their decay products): for instance, Hungary ∼ 0.27 Bq/g 238 U, 0.26 Bq/g 232 Th; Greece ∼ 0.15 Bq/g 238 U, 0.47 Bq/g 232 Th; Australia ∼ 0.40 Bq/g 238 U 1.13 Bq/g 232 Th; Jamaica ∼ 0.22 Bq/g 238 U, 0.04 Bq/g 232 Th; and China ∼ 0.46 Bq/g 238 U 0.37 Bq/g 232 Th. 22,132,133 Although some of the 238 U dissolves in the Bayer process and is associated with the coarser bauxite residue fraction, 232 Th is not -it is most often associated with the fine fraction. 22 When brought into a safe, stabile form / phase, processing of bauxite residues for CRM recovery may in fact result in an overall lower environmental impact by naturally occurring radionuclides.…”

Section: Environment and Health Improvements Due To Emission Reductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Re‐using bauxite residues: benefits beyond (critical raw) material recovery

Ujaczki

Feigl

Molnár

et al. 2018

J of Chemical Tech & Biotech

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Since the world economy has been confronted with an increasing risk of supply shortages of critical raw materials (CRMs), there has been a major interest in identifying alternative secondary sources of CRMs. Bauxite residues from alumina production are available at a multi‐million tonnes scale worldwide. So far, attempts have been made to find alternative re‐use applications for bauxite residues, for instance in cement / pig iron production. However, bauxite residues also constitute an untapped secondary source of CRMs. Depending on their geological origin and processing protocol, bauxite residues can contain considerable amounts of valuable elements. The obvious primary consideration for CRM recovery from such residues is the economic value of the materials contained. However, there are further benefits from re‐use of bauxite residues in general, and from CRM recovery in particular. These go beyond monetary values (e.g. reduced investment / operational costs resulting from savings in disposal). For instance, benefits for the environment and health can be achieved by abatement of tailing storage as well as by reduction of emissions from conventional primary mining. Whereas certain tools (e.g. life‐cycle analysis) can be used to quantify the latter, other benefits (in particular sustained social and technological development) are harder to quantify. This review evaluates strategies of bauxite residue re‐use / recycling and identifies associated benefits beyond elemental recovery. Furthermore, methodologies to translate risks and benefits into quantifiable data are discussed. Ultimately, such quantitative data are a prerequisite for facilitating decision‐making regarding bauxite residue re‐use / recycling and a stepping stone towards developing a zero‐waste alumina production process. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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“…As the world's largest alumina and RM manufacturer, China mainly adopts wet drainage (Liu et al 2014). The accumulation of RM has caused a large number of environmental safety problems, such as land occupation, air pollution, groundwater pollution, and dam failure (Gelencser et al 2011, Kovacs et al 2013, Mayes et al 2016, Winkler et al 2018, Xue et al 2016b). These issues are closely related to the strong alkalinity and high salinity of RM (Ding et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Red Mud-Based Polyaluminum Ferric Chloride Flocculant: Preparation, Characterization and Flocculation Performance

Cheng

Liu

et al. 2021

Preprint

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In this work, red mud was used as raw material to extract Al and Fe with hydrochloric acid. The high-efficiency polyaluminum iron chloride (PAFC) flocculant was prepared via adjusting the pH of the leaching solution, the molar ratio of aluminum and iron, and the polymerization temperature. The effect of synthesis and flocculation conditions on the flocculation performance of aged landfill leachate was investigated. The results confirmed that the PAFC prepared at the polymerization pH of 2.5, the Al/Fe molar ratio of 8, and the polymerization temperature of 70 °C had the optimum flocculation effect. The flocculation consequences of PAFC and commercial polyaluminum iron chloride flocculant (CPAFC) under different flocculation conditions were compared. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), UV254, chroma and settlement height of PAFC at flocculant concentration of 60 g/L and solution pH of 6 were 72.2%, 79.2%, 82.9% and 9.5 cm (within 90 min), respectively. PAFC has excellent flocculation performance and can be used as a simple, potentially low-cost wastewater treatment agent in industrial applications.

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Radiological aspects of red mud disaster in Hungary

Cited by 15 publications

References 8 publications

Advances in Understanding Environmental Risks of Red Mud After the Ajka Spill, Hungary

Advances in Understanding Environmental Risks of Red Mud After the Ajka Spill, Hungary

Re‐using bauxite residues: benefits beyond (critical raw) material recovery

Red Mud-Based Polyaluminum Ferric Chloride Flocculant: Preparation, Characterization and Flocculation Performance

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