Abstract
The river Teign in Devon has come under scrutiny for failing to meet environmental quality standards for ecotoxic metals due to past mining operations. A disused mine known as Bridford Barytes mine, has been found to contribute a significant source of Zn, Cd and Pb to the river. Recently, studies have been focused on the remediation of such mine sites using low-cost treatment methods to help reduce metal loads to the river downstream. This paper explores the metal removal efficiency of red mud, a waste product from the aluminium industry, which has proven to be an attractive low-cost treatment method for adsorbing toxic metals. Adsorption kinetics and capacity experiments reveal metal removal efficiencies of up to 70% within the first 2 h when red mud is applied in pelletized form. Further, it highlights the potential of biochar, another effective adsorbent observed to remove >90% Zn using agricultural feedstock. Compliance of the Teign has been investigated by analysing dissolved metal concentrations and bioavailable fractions of Zn to assess if levels are of environmental concern. By applying a real-world application model, this study reveals that compressed pellets and agricultural biochar offer an effective, low-cost option to reducing metal concentrations and thus improving the quality of the river Teign.
Highlights
Historic mining in the southwest of England has left a legacy of environmental and socio-economic impacts
This report aims to evaluate the feasibility of red mud pellets and biochar as treatment methods, weighing up the benefits and costs to determine which method will be most applicable for reducing metal loads to the Teign
The consistent exceedance of Zn and Cd environmental quality standards in the river Teign has formed the rationale for evaluating potential treatment methods
Summary
Historic mining in the southwest of England has left a legacy of environmental and socio-economic impacts. Whilst mining operations have largely ceased throughout Devon and Cornwall, impacts have persisted, resulting in localised contamination and elevated metal concentrations in soils, sediment, and waters. In England, pollution from mine waste affects over 1700 km of rivers [1] with the potential to reduce the quality of drinking water and threaten sensitive aquatic ecosystems. This legacy presents a challenge in achieving the requirements set out by the Water Framework Directive (WFD)
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