Abstract
The former manganese ferroalloy plant and the remaining tailings are affecting the quality of the environment in Šibenik Bay, Croatia, even though industrial activities ceased more than 25 years ago. This study has revealed that the main manganese mineral phases present in the recently collected tailings, as well as in the dust collected on the roof of the plant during the production period, are bustamite and Mn-oxides. The same type of Mn mineral phases was also found in recently collected sediments from Šibenik Bay. Detailed chemical and phase analyses (XRD, BCR sequential analysis, aqua regia and lithium borate fusion) of the dust sample revealed high manganese values (24.1%), while granulometric analysis showed that 50% of the particles are smaller than PM2.5. The influence of the tailings is visible in the sediment, but the concentrations of the potentially toxic elements determined by the sequential BCR analysis are within the legal limits. Some higher values (20.3 g/kg Mn, 595 mg/kg Pb and 494 mg/kg Zn) are detected in the tailings, which are still exposed to weathering and as such should be additionally monitored. On the other hand, this material contains a considerable number of elements that could be considered lucrative (∑ REE up to 700 mg/kg, Mn up to 23 g/kg, Fe up to 37 g/kg and Al up to 25 g/kg), opening the possibility of reuse and recovery.
Highlights
The negative impact of ferromanganese alloy production on the environment is well documented in the areas of historical and current facilities [1,2,3,4,5]
The analysis shows no spherical particles in the backscattered electron images
A large amount of the tailings material is still present at the site of the historic facility
Summary
The negative impact of ferromanganese alloy production on the environment is well documented in the areas of historical and current facilities [1,2,3,4,5]. The quality of the environment in the town of Šibenik and the Šibenik Bay (Figure 1) has been affected by industrial activities since the establishment of the TEF plant (TEF— Tvornica elektroda i ferolegura; eng. Electrode and Ferroalloy Plant). The TEF plant was in production in the period between 1900 and 1995. The tailings still have not been fully remediated, and under the influence of strong winds, which can reach speeds up to 130 km/h during windy seasons [10], tailing particles are transported over the wider Šibenik area including the nearby Krka River estuary (Figure 1)
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