Abstract
The article presents a study of the environmental impact of dusting tailing dumps of rare-metal ore dressing in the Murmansk region of Russia. The purpose of the study was to establish patterns in the atmochemical halo migration of the dust pollution of loparite ore dressing tailings. The geotechnical characteristics and material composition of the tailings material have been investigated. Potentially dusty areas identified. Models of dispersion of inorganic dust under different meteorological scenarios are constructed: at low wind load, normal and unfavorable meteorological conditions. The modeling of the spread of pollutants in the area exposed to dust at the storage site was carried out in the program for modeling atmospheric pollution Ecolog-4.60. Calculation of the dispersion of inorganic dust containing 20–70% SiO2 showed that the atmochemical halo of tailings dust pollution spreads over tens of kilometers, and already at a wind speed of about 8 m/s, the concentration of suspended solids at the border of the enterprise sanitary protection zone exceeds the maximum one-time maximum permissible concentration is 3–3.3 times, and under unfavorable meteorological conditions—Dusting reaches the boundaries of the residential area (inhabited locality Revda), located in the north-west of the enterprise, and exceeds the MPCm.o. 1.5 times.
Highlights
In the process of mining and concentration of ores, in particular rare-metal ores, a huge amount of waste is generated, the bulk of which is ground ore concentration tailings stored at dedicated storage facilities [1,2,3,4,5]
High concentrations of solid particles have a multifactorial effect on the processes of acidification and eutrophication of ecosystems [11], the emergence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases risk in humans [12], on various meteorological processes, precipitation and regional climate [13,14,15,16]
We studied loparite ores dressing tailings from an early area of the storage facility, decomWme isstsuioddlaniivneeeeceddor,amml3go5meipcyraciesoorsacinitlrotiesennnaeoet,gdraeoo3es.f5gTdliyirhgrieneheasetrms;sRiiaanmEgtgEeposru.t—iaTariilhctliioeeenrfsmigtuohsamfetfel,rotroalipaamianllirtonihatfgeant,snhaeuiesnamtamral,licylaniimineangoerlsdye, ynaicsmaoomtmrifuoatmplihinto—eelyswesicsdtoeo0rmore.af0pa9gnol%eessope,fdah0foc.eo0uilf2linin%ntdeye,.,paThnhedemicrocline, a0e.0g0i1r%in,er;esipmepctuivreiltyie. s of loparite, analcime, natrolite were found
Summary
In the process of mining and concentration of ores, in particular rare-metal ores, a huge amount of waste is generated, the bulk of which is ground ore concentration tailings stored at dedicated storage facilities [1,2,3,4,5]. When in active operation, which can be on the scale of decades, the tailings storage facility surface can reach several square kilometers and is virtually devoid of vegetation. The susceptibility of tailing dumps to wind erosion increases due to the artificially modified terrain, poor surface vegetation growth, and insufficient reclamation efforts [6]. The problem of air pollution at the global, but at the regional and local levels and its negative impact on the state of ecosystems and human health is a serious problem throughout the world [7,8,9,10]. High concentrations of solid particles have a multifactorial effect on the processes of acidification and eutrophication of ecosystems [11], the emergence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases risk in humans [12], on various meteorological processes, precipitation and regional climate [13,14,15,16]. Long-term human exposure to portable particulate matter is currently associated with a wide range of potential health risks
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