Analysis and technology to reduce the impact of tailings on the ecology of local water bodies

Abstract

An integral part of the technological chain in the processing of uranium ores is a tailing dump designed for organizational disposal and long-term storage of tailings. There are up to 170 production and monitoring wells around the tailings for comprehensive monitoring of the impact of the tailings on groundwater. Wastewater is discharged from the industrial site into the Aksu riverbed after preliminary complex biological treatment at the sanitary treatment facilities. This article provides an analysis of pollutants from the processing of uranium ores. Studies have found that arsenic, molybdenum, uranium, and radium are the main pollutants that affect surface and groundwater. Under the influence of precipitation, the oxidation of ore minerals, many radioactive and chemical elements transform into more mobile forms and enter the environment. The main accumulator of radionuclides is bottom sediments. It is this component of the aquatic ecosystem that determines the mechanism and rate of redistribution of radionuclides. The analysis of water samples from the tailing dump itself and from surface water bodies in the area of the GMZ industrial site in the direction of thalwegs was carried out.