Buffering efficacy and interaction of minerals in clayey soil with contaminants from landfilling and mining activities: a bird-eye view
- Agbenyeku, Emem-Obong Emmanuel, Muzenda, Edison, Msibi, Mandla Innocent
- Authors: Agbenyeku, Emem-Obong Emmanuel , Muzenda, Edison , Msibi, Mandla Innocent
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects , Clay soils , Fills (Earthwork) , Acid mine drainage - Environmental aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/188255 , uj:20992 , Citation: Agbenyeku, E., Muzenda, E. & Msibi, M. 2016. Buffering efficacy and interaction of minerals in clayey soil with contaminants from landfilling and mining activities : a bird-eye view.
- Description: Abstract: The drastic growth in global population, energy resource use, industrial and infrastructure development have led to enormous problems in global conditions and contending environmental challenges. In recent years, South Africa has intensified research on industrialisation and associated environmental problems regarding waste generation, ecosystem matters, human and environmental health risk assessment, and waste management systems. The study has made it clear that geo-environments in and around landfills, and mines are severely contaminated by toxic substances not limited to heavy metals and organic compounds. The allencompassing introductory presentation in this paper based on a bird-eye view- review approach, pinpoints the present state from site reconnaissance, and impact of landfilling and mining operations in areas with such activities. This study however, has paved way for subsequent technically intense investigations on assessing the buffering efficacy of natural soils from affected sites. This include examining the interaction of pollutants with the soil minerals in succeeding papers towards curtailing soil, surface, subsurface and ground water contamination which invariably affect human and environmental health.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Agbenyeku, Emem-Obong Emmanuel , Muzenda, Edison , Msibi, Mandla Innocent
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects , Clay soils , Fills (Earthwork) , Acid mine drainage - Environmental aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/188255 , uj:20992 , Citation: Agbenyeku, E., Muzenda, E. & Msibi, M. 2016. Buffering efficacy and interaction of minerals in clayey soil with contaminants from landfilling and mining activities : a bird-eye view.
- Description: Abstract: The drastic growth in global population, energy resource use, industrial and infrastructure development have led to enormous problems in global conditions and contending environmental challenges. In recent years, South Africa has intensified research on industrialisation and associated environmental problems regarding waste generation, ecosystem matters, human and environmental health risk assessment, and waste management systems. The study has made it clear that geo-environments in and around landfills, and mines are severely contaminated by toxic substances not limited to heavy metals and organic compounds. The allencompassing introductory presentation in this paper based on a bird-eye view- review approach, pinpoints the present state from site reconnaissance, and impact of landfilling and mining operations in areas with such activities. This study however, has paved way for subsequent technically intense investigations on assessing the buffering efficacy of natural soils from affected sites. This include examining the interaction of pollutants with the soil minerals in succeeding papers towards curtailing soil, surface, subsurface and ground water contamination which invariably affect human and environmental health.
- Full Text:
Buffering efficacy and interaction of minerals in clayey soil with contaminants from landfills and acid mine drainage
- Agbenyeku, Emem-Obong Emmanuel
- Authors: Agbenyeku, Emem-Obong Emmanuel
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Acid mine drainage - Environmental aspects , Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects , Fills (Earthwork) , Clay soils
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/225168 , uj:22735
- Description: Abstract: The extent to which mining and landfilling activities in South Africa impact the environment and invariably have consequential effects on the health of inhabitants has remained insistently dire. Hence, for the study to assess the efficacy and potency of three subtropical clayey soils as buffers of contaminants, their compatibility with acid mine drainage (AMD) and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachate was investigated through geochemical, mechanical and soil hydraulic conductivity testing, batch sorption, column diffusion, chemical and x-ray diffraction studies. The infusion of roughly 18-24 pore volumes of AMD through the soils triggered a dissolution of metals from soil grains. The soils adsorbed more potassium than sodium after 4-10 pore volumes of MSW landfill leachate intrusion. Generally, the effluent breakthrough curves of the respective soils showed early arrival and delayed desorption of magnesium and calcium while iron and nearly all heavy metals in the leachate were buffered. The effective diffusion coefficients for potassium and sodium were found to range between 1.5-1.9 × 10-10 m/s and 7.1-13 × 10-10 m/s respectively. The source solutions used as permeants in the study triggered desorption of chemical species from the exchangeable sites of the clayey soil minerals leading to the alteration, formation and dissolution of other soil minerals. Irrespective of the physicochemical and mineralogical transformations that occurred in the respective soils, the final hydraulic conductivity values satisfied the maximum soil acceptance criterion by roughly two order of magnitude lower than 1 × 10-9 m/s specified for clay liner construction in South Africa. Nonetheless, the three sampled natural subtropical soils were found to be incompatible with AMD and therefore, should not be solely used as naked natural buffers for AMD containment and related acid producing wastes, as they were mostly inadequate in buffering the potentially harmful AMD chemical species. Furthermore, it is not advisable to use the respective naked soils alone as natural buffers in MSW landfills with high concentrations of leachate chemical species as every soil system has a threshold. The soils can however, be used in composite barrier lining systems. This is such that, complex mechanisms provide the natural soils in-situ and ex-situ with their mechanical and physical behaviours including; adsorption, desorption, attenuation, complexation, pressure and transformations which contribute to the development of changes in net repulsion/attraction and natural bonding in the respective soils. , D.Phil. (Civil Engineering Science)
- Full Text:
- Authors: Agbenyeku, Emem-Obong Emmanuel
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Acid mine drainage - Environmental aspects , Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects , Fills (Earthwork) , Clay soils
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/225168 , uj:22735
- Description: Abstract: The extent to which mining and landfilling activities in South Africa impact the environment and invariably have consequential effects on the health of inhabitants has remained insistently dire. Hence, for the study to assess the efficacy and potency of three subtropical clayey soils as buffers of contaminants, their compatibility with acid mine drainage (AMD) and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachate was investigated through geochemical, mechanical and soil hydraulic conductivity testing, batch sorption, column diffusion, chemical and x-ray diffraction studies. The infusion of roughly 18-24 pore volumes of AMD through the soils triggered a dissolution of metals from soil grains. The soils adsorbed more potassium than sodium after 4-10 pore volumes of MSW landfill leachate intrusion. Generally, the effluent breakthrough curves of the respective soils showed early arrival and delayed desorption of magnesium and calcium while iron and nearly all heavy metals in the leachate were buffered. The effective diffusion coefficients for potassium and sodium were found to range between 1.5-1.9 × 10-10 m/s and 7.1-13 × 10-10 m/s respectively. The source solutions used as permeants in the study triggered desorption of chemical species from the exchangeable sites of the clayey soil minerals leading to the alteration, formation and dissolution of other soil minerals. Irrespective of the physicochemical and mineralogical transformations that occurred in the respective soils, the final hydraulic conductivity values satisfied the maximum soil acceptance criterion by roughly two order of magnitude lower than 1 × 10-9 m/s specified for clay liner construction in South Africa. Nonetheless, the three sampled natural subtropical soils were found to be incompatible with AMD and therefore, should not be solely used as naked natural buffers for AMD containment and related acid producing wastes, as they were mostly inadequate in buffering the potentially harmful AMD chemical species. Furthermore, it is not advisable to use the respective naked soils alone as natural buffers in MSW landfills with high concentrations of leachate chemical species as every soil system has a threshold. The soils can however, be used in composite barrier lining systems. This is such that, complex mechanisms provide the natural soils in-situ and ex-situ with their mechanical and physical behaviours including; adsorption, desorption, attenuation, complexation, pressure and transformations which contribute to the development of changes in net repulsion/attraction and natural bonding in the respective soils. , D.Phil. (Civil Engineering Science)
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Effect of regional geology and mining activity on water quality : studies in the eMalahleni (Witbank) and South Rand coalfields
- Authors: Mgoqi, Aviwe
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Acid mine drainage , Mining geology , Acid mine drainage - Environmental aspects - South Africa , Mine water - Environmental aspects - South Africa , Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/401340 , uj:33536
- Description: Abstract : Acidic drainage generated in mining environments has been a major concern for many years, especially since the acidic drainage leads to the deterioration of quality in water resources. South Africa is a waterscarce country, and solutions to try and counteract the spread of acidic drainage in mining environments are of major importance. Prediction of the potential for constituents to generate or neutralise acidity produced has become an integral part of the treatment and mitigation process employed in numerous industries. The use of modern methods in the determination of acid generation and neutralisation potential in earth moving environments is critical in the improvement of mitigation and treatment methods. Methods are frequently generated in order to improve on existing methods, assist existing methods, or change the way existing methods operate. In the process of creating new methods, complications are often encountered, leading to an extended time period in the creation process. The current method focuses on the analyses of acid-generating and acid-neutralising elements with the use of Inductively-Coupled Plasma Optical Emissions Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The method aims to assist in the prediction of acid generation/neutralisation potential of samples and improve the efficiency by reducing the period it takes for successful prediction to be carried out and analysing an array of minerals considered to be involved in acid generation and neutralisation reactions. Samples were subjected to nitric and hydrochloric acid as a means of leaching out sulphate and sulphide sulphur species, respectively. Subjecting the samples to acid also releases readily-dissolving elements (likely to be involved in acid-neutralising reactions) and compounds into the leachate. The content of elements that are constituents of acid-producing minerals (Fe, S) are compared to elements that constitute acid-neutralising minerals (Ca, Mg, Na, K). A balance between the respective minerals allows for the determination of the acid-generating and acid-neutralising potential as part of Acid Base Accounting (ABA) procedures... , M.Sc. (Geology)
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- Authors: Mgoqi, Aviwe
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Acid mine drainage , Mining geology , Acid mine drainage - Environmental aspects - South Africa , Mine water - Environmental aspects - South Africa , Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/401340 , uj:33536
- Description: Abstract : Acidic drainage generated in mining environments has been a major concern for many years, especially since the acidic drainage leads to the deterioration of quality in water resources. South Africa is a waterscarce country, and solutions to try and counteract the spread of acidic drainage in mining environments are of major importance. Prediction of the potential for constituents to generate or neutralise acidity produced has become an integral part of the treatment and mitigation process employed in numerous industries. The use of modern methods in the determination of acid generation and neutralisation potential in earth moving environments is critical in the improvement of mitigation and treatment methods. Methods are frequently generated in order to improve on existing methods, assist existing methods, or change the way existing methods operate. In the process of creating new methods, complications are often encountered, leading to an extended time period in the creation process. The current method focuses on the analyses of acid-generating and acid-neutralising elements with the use of Inductively-Coupled Plasma Optical Emissions Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The method aims to assist in the prediction of acid generation/neutralisation potential of samples and improve the efficiency by reducing the period it takes for successful prediction to be carried out and analysing an array of minerals considered to be involved in acid generation and neutralisation reactions. Samples were subjected to nitric and hydrochloric acid as a means of leaching out sulphate and sulphide sulphur species, respectively. Subjecting the samples to acid also releases readily-dissolving elements (likely to be involved in acid-neutralising reactions) and compounds into the leachate. The content of elements that are constituents of acid-producing minerals (Fe, S) are compared to elements that constitute acid-neutralising minerals (Ca, Mg, Na, K). A balance between the respective minerals allows for the determination of the acid-generating and acid-neutralising potential as part of Acid Base Accounting (ABA) procedures... , M.Sc. (Geology)
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Social impact of mining
- Authors: Nkosi, Lolah
- Date: 2015-07-03
- Subjects: Social legislation , Human rights , Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:13688 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13886
- Description: LL.M. (International Law) , Mining is an activity which contributes greatly and positively to a country’s economic development by creating job opportunities, development of roads, health care centres and educational facilities. However, mining in certain instances can also have a long lasting negative environmental and social impact on communities. The focus of this dissertation will be to address those instances where mining has a negative social impact on the communities where such mining projects are taking place. The negative social impact of mining in certain cases is regarded as a universal phenomenon. Citizens of many countries where mining activities take place i.e. “mining counties” especially in the under-developed, developing and countries with economies in transition, such as Ghana, Mali, South Africa and Tanzania in an African Continent are confronted with an array of negative consequences associated with the negative social impact of mining activities. However this does not mean that other continents are immune from this. Asian countries such as Paupau New Guinea, India, and China are also faced with the negative social impact of mining.
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- Authors: Nkosi, Lolah
- Date: 2015-07-03
- Subjects: Social legislation , Human rights , Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:13688 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13886
- Description: LL.M. (International Law) , Mining is an activity which contributes greatly and positively to a country’s economic development by creating job opportunities, development of roads, health care centres and educational facilities. However, mining in certain instances can also have a long lasting negative environmental and social impact on communities. The focus of this dissertation will be to address those instances where mining has a negative social impact on the communities where such mining projects are taking place. The negative social impact of mining in certain cases is regarded as a universal phenomenon. Citizens of many countries where mining activities take place i.e. “mining counties” especially in the under-developed, developing and countries with economies in transition, such as Ghana, Mali, South Africa and Tanzania in an African Continent are confronted with an array of negative consequences associated with the negative social impact of mining activities. However this does not mean that other continents are immune from this. Asian countries such as Paupau New Guinea, India, and China are also faced with the negative social impact of mining.
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Soil resource management - key to successful mine closure
- Authors: Herb, Stephan William
- Date: 2012-05-02
- Subjects: Soil resource management , Abandoned mined lands reclamation , Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects , Mine closures , Mineral industries - Environmental aspects , Reclamation of land - Environmental aspects
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2245 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4684
- Description: M.Sc. , Coal mining is a mature industry and plays a vital part in the economy and development of South Africa. Coal mining however is a temporary use of land. Historically, when an ore body was exhausted, production ceased and mines were boarded up and abandoned. Today mine closure requires the return of land to a viable and sustainable post-mining land use but a number of challenges are associated with mine reclamation. One of the greatest challenges is the inability of mines in South Africa to return mined land to its pre-mining state or land capability. The minimization of loss of land use capability and equally soil resource is a key part in achieving success in mine reclamation. This study verifies and assesses the replaced soil depth and actual post-mining land capability at a surface coal mine in Mpumalanga province, according to the Chamber of Mines “Guidelines for the rehabilitation of mined land” (2007). Five of the seven reclaimed sites within the study area exceeded the planned land capability proportions determined during the pre-mining stage. A top soil balance done at the end of January 2010 however indicates that the available volume of soil resource at the mine will not suffice the amount needed to achieve the planned land capability in areas not yet reclaimed. It is suggested that the lack of an adequate soil monitoring and management strategy in the past, has led to the shortfall of the available soil resource at the mine. The soil monitoring and reconciliation strategy developed will hopefully assist mine managers and rehabilitation planners to prevent further soil loss at the mine.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Herb, Stephan William
- Date: 2012-05-02
- Subjects: Soil resource management , Abandoned mined lands reclamation , Mines and mineral resources - Environmental aspects , Mine closures , Mineral industries - Environmental aspects , Reclamation of land - Environmental aspects
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2245 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4684
- Description: M.Sc. , Coal mining is a mature industry and plays a vital part in the economy and development of South Africa. Coal mining however is a temporary use of land. Historically, when an ore body was exhausted, production ceased and mines were boarded up and abandoned. Today mine closure requires the return of land to a viable and sustainable post-mining land use but a number of challenges are associated with mine reclamation. One of the greatest challenges is the inability of mines in South Africa to return mined land to its pre-mining state or land capability. The minimization of loss of land use capability and equally soil resource is a key part in achieving success in mine reclamation. This study verifies and assesses the replaced soil depth and actual post-mining land capability at a surface coal mine in Mpumalanga province, according to the Chamber of Mines “Guidelines for the rehabilitation of mined land” (2007). Five of the seven reclaimed sites within the study area exceeded the planned land capability proportions determined during the pre-mining stage. A top soil balance done at the end of January 2010 however indicates that the available volume of soil resource at the mine will not suffice the amount needed to achieve the planned land capability in areas not yet reclaimed. It is suggested that the lack of an adequate soil monitoring and management strategy in the past, has led to the shortfall of the available soil resource at the mine. The soil monitoring and reconciliation strategy developed will hopefully assist mine managers and rehabilitation planners to prevent further soil loss at the mine.
- Full Text:
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