Trace metal and metalloid levels in surface water of Marcal River before and after the Ajka red mud spill, Hungary

Nagy, Andrea Szabó; Szabó, J.; Vass, István

doi:10.1007/s11356-013-2071-5

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Mobilisation of As from red mud affected soils may have contributed to the moderate increases in As concentrations found in river waters up to 2 years after the spill (Nagy et al, 2013). These data, therefore, vindicate the decision by Hungarian authorities to recover most of the red mud from affected land as arsenic leaching is likely to have been much greater without this intervention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Mobilisation of arsenic from bauxite residue (red mud) affected soils: Effect of pH and redox conditions

Lockwood

Mortimer

Stewart

et al. 2014

Applied Geochemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Mobilisation of arsenic from bauxite residue (red mud) affected soils: Effect of pH and redox conditions

Lockwood

Mortimer

Stewart

et al. 2014

Applied Geochemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Landscape and Catchment Scale Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the water environment, long-term monitoring (in the 3 years post spill) demonstrated that the concentrations of dissolved trace metal(loid)s downstream of the site did not exceed either European or US aquatic life criteria values (excluding one sample for Cd [46]). However, continued, albeit modest, elevations of As and Ni were apparent in the Marcal River 2 years after the spill compared to that observed in the predisaster period [46]. These elevations of As and Ni are consistent with the enhanced leaching from red mud when in contact with organics (e.g., where the red mud was plowed into agricultural soils [18,21,22]) which may suggest a residual signal of the red mud.…”

Section: Landscape and Catchment Scale Recoverymentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Mayes

Burke

Gomes

et al. 2016

J. Sustain. Metall.

129

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

“…In previous studies of red mud-soil mixtures, increased Cu mobility has been observed in both field trials (Lombi et al 2002 ) and laboratory tests (Rekasi et al 2013 ). Since the Ajka spill, increased concentrations of both Cu and Ni have been found in the Torna and Marcel Rivers (Nagy et al 2013 ). However, if reducing conditions developed with time in water-logged soil, Cu may speciate as less soluble Cu(I) and Cu(0) phases at lower redox potentials, or the reductive dissolution of Fe and Mn oxides may reduce the availability of sorption sites and promote both Cu and Ni solubility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaching of copper and nickel in soil-water systems contaminated by bauxite residue (red mud) from Ajka, Hungary: the importance of soil organic matter

Lockwood

Stewart

Mortimer

et al. 2015

Environ Sci Pollut Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Red mud is a highly alkaline (pH >12) waste product from bauxite ore processing. The red mud spill at Ajka, Hungary, in 2010 released 1 million m3 of caustic red mud into the surrounding area with devastating results. Aerobic and anaerobic batch experiments and solid phase extraction techniques were used to assess the impact of red mud addition on the mobility of Cu and Ni in soils from near the Ajka spill site. Red mud addition increases aqueous dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations due to soil alkalisation, and this led to increased mobility of Cu and Ni complexed to organic matter. With Ajka soils, more Cu was mobilised by contact with red mud than Ni, despite a higher overall Ni concentration in the solid phase. This is most probably because Cu has a higher affinity to form complexes with organic matter than Ni. In aerobic experiments, contact with the atmosphere reduced soil pH via carbonation reactions, and this reduced organic matter dissolution and thereby lowered Cu/Ni mobility. These data show that the mixing of red mud into organic rich soils is an area of concern, as there is a potential to mobilise Cu and Ni as organically bound complexes, via soil alkalisation. This could be especially problematic in locations where anaerobic conditions can prevail, such as wetland areas contaminated by the spill.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-015-4282-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Trace metal and metalloid levels in surface water of Marcal River before and after the Ajka red mud spill, Hungary

Cited by 14 publications

References 15 publications

Mobilisation of arsenic from bauxite residue (red mud) affected soils: Effect of pH and redox conditions

Mobilisation of arsenic from bauxite residue (red mud) affected soils: Effect of pH and redox conditions

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

Leaching of copper and nickel in soil-water systems contaminated by bauxite residue (red mud) from Ajka, Hungary: the importance of soil organic matter

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About