Sulfur cycling in an acid mining lake and its vicinity in Lusatia, Germany

Knöller, Kay; Fauville, Andrea; Mayer, Bernhard; Strauch, Gerhard; Friese, Kurt; Veizer, Ján

doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2003.11.009

Cited by 85 publications

(48 citation statements)

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“…During the last few decades, numerous studies have permitted to describe the biogeochemical functioning of these acid mining pit lakes and to currently consider bioremediation strategies (e.g. Peine et al, 2000;Knöller et al, 2004;Meier et al, 2004;Kamjunke et al, 2005;Blodau, 2006;Koschorreck et al, 2007;Geller et al, 2009). The acidity of lake water is a result of the weathering of pyriteand marcasite-enriched surrounding dumps through the production of SO different factors controlling microbial oxidizing and reductive processes within top sediments are thus crucial for the dynamics of acidity generation and consumption, and as a consequence, for the long-term development of acidic mining lakes and their watersheds (Blodau, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of bioturbation on the biogeochemistry of littoral sediments of an acidic post-mining pit lake

2011

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Abstract. In the last decades, the mining exploitation of large areas in Lusatia (Eastern Germany) but also in other mining areas worldwide has led to the formation of hundreds of pit lakes. Pyrite oxidation in the surrounding dumps makes many such lakes extremely acidic (pH < 3). The biogeochemical functioning of these lakes is mainly governed by cycling of iron. This represents a relevant ecological problem and intensive research has been conducted to understand the involved biogeochemical processes and develop bioremediation strategies. Despite some studies reporting the presence of living organisms (mostly bacteria, algae, and macroinvertebrates) under such acidic conditions, and their trophic interactions, their potential impact on the ecosystem functioning was poorly investigated. The present study aimed to assess the influence of chironomid larvae on oxygen dynamics and iron cycle in the sediment of acidic pit lakes. In the Mining Lake 111, used as a study case since 1996, Chironomus crassimanus (Insecta, Diptera) is the dominant benthic macro-invertebrate species and occurs at relatively high abundances in shallow water. A 16-day laboratory experiment using microcosms combined with high resolution measurements (DET gel probes and O 2 microsensors) was carried out. The burrowing activity of C. crassimanus larvae induced a 3-fold increase of the diffusive oxygen uptake by sediment, indicating a stimulation of the mineralization of organic matter in the upper layers of the sediment. The iron cycle was also impacted (e.g. lower rates of reduction and oxidation, increase of iron-oxidizing bacteria abundance, stimulation of mineral formation) but with no significant effect on the iron flux at the sediment-water interface, and thus Correspondence to: S. Lagauzère (lagauzere@gmail.com) on the water acidity budget. This work provides the first assessment of bioturbation in an acidic mining lake and shows that its influence on biogeochemistry cannot be neglected.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of bioturbation on the biogeochemistry of littoral sediments of an acidic post-mining pit lake

2011

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“…The isotopic compositions of chemical compounds are linked to their sources by the mass balance equation (Knö ller et al 2004;Trettin et al 2007). In addition, isotope fractionations are useful for elucidating biogeochemical processes involved in the sulfur cycle.…”

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Seasonal change in microbial sulfur cycling in monomictic Lake Fukami‐ike, Japan

Nakagawa

Ueno

Hattori

et al. 2012

Limnology & Oceanography

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Sulfur budgets and seasonal progression of sulfur cycling processes were investigated in Lake Fukami-ike, a small monomictic lake in Japan. The sulfur isotopic mass balance shows that the main sulfur source is groundwater inflow (d 34 S 5 215.0%). The sulfate influx is approximately 20% reduced by microbial sulfate reduction and deposited as sulfide (d 34 S 5 222.2%; 34 kmol yr 21 ); the remaining exits from the outflow channel (d 34 S 5 212.6%). In the water column, microbiological analyses reveal that green sulfur bacteria dominate more than 90% of the population in the anoxic layer. A monthly decrease in sulfate concentration at each depth indicates that sulfate reduction proceeds within the water column as a first-order reaction because of low sulfate concentration (, 600 mmol L 21 ). The isotopic fractionation factor of sulfate reduction is estimated to be 0.980 by the isotopic and concentration data of sulfate and sulfide from April to August. Numerical simulation indicates that the relative contribution of phototrophic sulfide oxidation is over 50 times slower than sulfate reduction from April to August but over two times higher from October to November because of lower sulfate conditions (, 300 mmol L 21 ). Sulfate concentration is the factor for controlling the relative contribution of sulfate reduction and phototrophic sulfide oxidation in monomictic lakes, which contrasts with that observed in permanently stratified lakes.

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“…Furthermore, the biogeochemical and stable isotope (e.g., d 18 O SO 4 , d 34 S SO 4 ) data presented for the first time in this study are important because these types of information are not available for AMLs in the Can Coal Basin. Stable isotopes are commonly used to understand oxidation mechanisms of sulfur minerals (e.g., pyrite, sphalerite) that cause acid-mine generation including mine lakes (Knoller et al 2004;Pellicori et al 2005;Trettin et al 2007;Migaszewski et al 2008;Hubbard et al 2009) and mine tailings and waste rocks (Sracek et al 2004;Seal et al 2008;Smuda et al 2008, Balci et al 2007. Particular attention has been paid to the S and O isotopic composition of sulfate, a direct indicator and stable product of the oxidation of reduced sulfur under acidic conditions (Taylor et al 1984a, b;Van Everdingen and Krouse 1985;Taylor and Wheeler 1994;Hubbard et al 2009;Balci et al 2007Balci et al , 2012 …”

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Generation of Acid Mine Lakes Associated with Abandoned Coal Mines in Northwest Turkey

Yücel

Balcı

Baba

2016

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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A total of five acid mine lakes (AMLs) located in northwest Turkey were investigated using combined isotope, molecular, and geochemical techniques to identify geochemical processes controlling and promoting acid formation. All of the investigated lakes showed typical characteristics of an AML with low pH (2.59-3.79) and high electrical conductivity values (1040-6430 lS/cm), in addition to high sulfate (594-5370 mg/l) and metal (aluminum [Al], iron [Fe], manganese [Mn], nickel [Ni], and zinc [Zn]) concentrations. Geochemical and isotope results showed that the acid-generation mechanism and source of sulfate in the lakes can change and depends on the age of the lakes. In the relatively older lakes (AMLs 1 through 3), biogeochemical Fe cycles seem to be the dominant process controlling metal concentration and pH of the water unlike in the younger lakes (AMLs 4 and 5). Bacterial species determined in an older lake (AML 2) indicate that biological oxidation and reduction of Fe and S are the dominant processes in the lakes. Furthermore, O and S isotopes of sulfate indicate that sulfate in the older mine lakes may be a product of much more complex oxidation/dissolution reactions. However, the major source of sulfate in the younger mine lakes is in situ pyrite oxidation catalyzed by Fe(III) produced by way of oxidation of Fe(II). Consistent with this, insignificant fractionation between d 34 S SO 4 and d 34 S FeS 2 values indicated that the oxidation of pyrite, along with dissolution and precipitation reactions of Fe(III) minerals, is the main reason for acid formation in the region. Overall, the results showed that acid generation during early stage formation of an AML associated with pyrite-rich mine waste is primarily controlled by the oxidation of pyrite with Fe cycles becoming the dominant processes regulating pH and metal cycles in the later stages of mine lake development.Acidic and highly metal-loaded effluents (acid mine drainage [AMD]) resulting from the exposure of pyrite and other metal sulfide minerals to weathering conditions are the principal environmental problems faced by the mining industry today (Dold and Spangerberg 2005).The formation mechanisms of AMD (e.g., oxidation of pyrite and other sulfide minerals) has been extensively studied

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Sulfur cycling in an acid mining lake and its vicinity in Lusatia, Germany

Cited by 85 publications

References 48 publications

Influence of bioturbation on the biogeochemistry of littoral sediments of an acidic post-mining pit lake

Influence of bioturbation on the biogeochemistry of littoral sediments of an acidic post-mining pit lake

Seasonal change in microbial sulfur cycling in monomictic Lake Fukami‐ike, Japan

Generation of Acid Mine Lakes Associated with Abandoned Coal Mines in Northwest Turkey

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