Mine Wastewater Research Articles

Effects of Phosphate-rock Mining Wastewater Fertigation on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivation and Soil Microbial Diversity

Effects of Phosphate-rock Mining Wastewater Fertigation on Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivation and Soil Microbial Diversity

Beryllium adsorption from beryllium mining wastewater with novel porous lotus leaf biochar modified with PO43−/NH4+ multifunctional groups (MLLB)

Wastewater produced in beryllium mining seriously affects ecological balance and causes great environmental pressure. We designed a novel porous lotus leaf biochar modified with PO43−/NH4+ multifunctional groups (MLLB) and used it for beryllium(Be) removal from beryllium mining wastewater. Kinetic and thermodynamic experiments showed that the adsorption capacity (Qe) of Be with MLLB from the simulated beryllium mining wastewater could reach 40.38 g kg−1 (35 °C, pH = 5.5), and the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. The dispersion coefficient Kd of Be with MLLB was 2.6 × 104 mL g−1, which proved that MLLB had strong selective adsorption capacity for Be. Phosphoric acid, ammonia, and hydroxyl groups on the MLLB surface would complex with Be to form Be(OH)2 and Be(NH4)PO4 complexation products, which implied that surface complexation and precipitation reactions might co-existed in the adsorption process. The above results showed that MLLB could effectively adsorb Be and prevent beryllium exposure in a beryllium mining process.Graphical

Enhanced Treatment of Antimony Mine Wastewater by Sulfidated Micro Zerovalent Iron (S-mZVI).

Commercial micron zerovalent iron (mZVI) and sulfur were used to prepare sulfidated micro zerovalent iron (S-mZVI) through ball milling. The corrosion potentials of mZVI and S-mZVI were -0.01 and -0.37 V, respectively, indicating S-mZVI possessed a stronger electron-donating ability. The practical antimony mine wastewater (C0(Sb(V)) = 3.8296 mg/L, pH = 8.29) was treated. If meeting the national discharge standard of 5 μg/L, 2.0 g/L mZVI and 1.6 g/L S-mZVI were required within 120 min. Passing N2 or reducing wastewater pH enhanced the treatment of Sb(V) by S-mZVI, in which the wastewater acidification was more effective. Once the wastewater pH was adjusted to 3.00, only 0.7 g/L S-mZVI and 40 min long time were needed to achieve the emission below 5 μg/L. Even S-mZVI underwent four cycles, and the final concentration of Sb(V) was as low as 4.67 μg/L. As the pHzpc value was 4.09 and the corrosion potential was -0.56 V at pH 3.0, the electron-donating ability of S-mZVI as well as the electrostatic attraction between the surface of S-mZVI and Sb(V) increased. Sulfidation of mZVI and then application under the acid condition significantly improved the treatment efficiency of Sb(V).

An integrated approach to sustainable mine wastewater treatment: Magnesium recovery with anion exchange membranes

With recent emphasis on sustainable and efficient mineral valorization, novel approaches to treating mineral wastewater in natural settings bring both environmental and economic value. This paper presents the results of an applied research to develop an integrated approach to sustainable wastewater treatment that includes an ion exchange process to recover copper and cobalt from mine wastewater, followed by the membrane recovery of magnesium. The paper investigates magnesium hydroxide crystallization process employing an anion exchange membrane (AEM) cell. This process involves the penetration of OH- ions from the alkaline solution through the AEM to the feed solution in exchange for Cl- ions and precipitation of Mg(OH)2 as solid particles. The wastewater was sampled from different mine waste sources from the copper mine tailings dam in South Australia, all containing significant amounts of critical metals, including magnesium, copper, and cobalt. The results have demonstrated the potential for sustainable magnesium hydroxide recovery methods. The findings suggest that the most influential process parameters for magnesium hydroxide recovery and purity are magnesium concentration in the feed solution and sodium hydroxide to magnesium ratio in the alkaline solution and feed solution, respectively. It was also established that the overall recovery of cobalt, copper and magnesium in a combination of ion exchange and AEM processes was achieved at a level near 100 %. The purity of magnesium hydroxide precipitate was achieved in the range of 90–96.6 % and depends mainly on the presence of impurities in brine.

A systematic evaluation of alkaliphilic microbial consortia from a soda lake for the biodegradation of cyanide-rich wastewater

Alkaliphilic microorganisms are one option for the treatment of cyanide-polluted wastewater. This study reports the degradation of cyanide from simulated gold mine wastewater using alkaliphilic microbial consortia harvested from a soda lake, Lake Chitu, Ethiopia. A novel aerobic-anoxic integrated treatment setup was established for the treatment process. Colorimetry was used to measure residual cyanide concentration, and 16S rRNA amplicon gene sequencing was used to study microbial diversity. This treatment system was able to degrade 97.49 ± 0.12% of 200 mg/L sodium cyanide. However, changes were observed (p < 0.05) when the established consortia were stressed with heavy metals. About 28 % of the initial inoculum persisted until the end of the treatment days. Twenty-eight bacterial phyla were identified, with Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidota being the most abundant. At the end of the treatment process, Alkalibacterium (74.43%), Exaguobacterium (6.6%), and Halomonas (3.89%) were dominant. These findings indicate that alkaliphilic microbial consortiums from Ethiopian Rift Valley soda lakes are effective for the treatment of cyanide-polluted wastewater.

Highly efficient radium removal from mine wastewater with fly ash NaP1 zeolite

This study investigates the application of NaP1 zeolite, synthesized hydrothermally from F-class fly ash, for treating radium-contaminated mine water. The objective was to assess the efficiency of NaP1 zeolite in removing radium ions from real mine water samples. Three samples with high concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra and total dissolved cation contents ranging from 48.9 to 89.0 g/L were treated using sequential batch and fixed bed experiments. The NaP1 zeolite demonstrated high treatment efficiency for radium-sulfate and radium-strontium water, with removal rates of 97 % and 82 % for the 1st liter, and 54 % for the 53th and 9th liters, respectively. However, for radium-barium water, the maximum treatment efficiency was 45 % for the 1st liter, dropping to 0 % after 4th liter. This decline was attributed to the competitive adsorption of barium ions, which reduced the radium removal efficiency more rapidly than in the other water types. An additional experiment with synthetic barium water confirmed that 10 g of NaP1 zeolite adsorbed 1 g of Ba from one liter of distilled water. These results highlight the potential of NaP1 zeolite for radium removal in certain contexts, although its efficiency may be hindered by the presence of competing ions such as barium.

Synthesis of ZIF-8/chitosan composites for Cu2+ removal from water

ABSTRACT In this work, a kind of novel Chitosan (Cs)-doped zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF-8@Cs) with a larger surface area and a smaller pore size was synthesised via a facial solvothermal approach and applied to remove Cu2+ from mine wastewater. Compared to nondoped ZIF-8, ZIF-8@Cs exhibited a stronger adsorption performance and removal efficiency. The reason was that ZIF-8@Cs doped by the Cs could suppress the aggregation and increase the monodispersity of ZIF-8. Using the high-performance ZIF-8@Cs, as a novel adsorbent, was successfully developed for the efficient removal of Cu2+ from mine wastewater. Various parameters, such as contact time, initial Cu2+ concentration, adsorbent dosage, and pH, were investigated. The results showed that a removal efficiency of 85% was obtained at 4 h contact time for a Cu2+ concentration of 30 mg/L at the optimum pH of 6.0. Equilibrium data were analysed using different isothermal models and kinetic models, analytic results indicated that the capture of Cu2+ by ZIF-8@Cs could favourably comply with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model. The single-layer adsorption of Cu2+ on ZIF-8@Cs was dominated by diffusional mass transfer. Additionally, the results of the thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption of Cu2+ by ZIF-8/Cs was a spontaneous, exothermic, and ordered process. Overall, the results reported herein indicated that ZIF-8/Cs with high adsorption efficiency are very attractive and imply a potential practical application for the removal of potentially toxic elements in wastewater.

Selective electro-capacitive deionization of Yb(III) by nanospherical N-doped carbon supported nickel‑iron bimetallic oxide, nitride and phosphide

The separation of rare earth elements from the mining waste water is highly important but still facing challenge. In this study, three different porous composite electrode materials were well-designed by decorating the nickel‑iron bimetallic oxide, nitride or phosphide onto nitrogen-doped carbon nanosphere, respectively (termed as NiFeO@NC, NiFeN@NC and NiFeP@NC), and utilized in capacitive deionization device for electrosorption of Yb(III) from water under the low-voltage electric field. The characterization and electrochemical results indicated that the incorporation of N or P atom lead to the reduced specific surface area and the enhanced electrochemical properties (i.e., larger specific capacitance, lower charge transfer resistance). In addition, NiFeN@NC and NiFeP@NC exhibited the excellent electrosorption capacities of Yb(III) with 105.24 mg·g−1 and 90.31 mg·g−1, respectively, under conditions of a flow rate of 20 mL·min−1, a voltage of 1.2 V, and pH of 5.0, which was extremely higher than NiFeO@NC (i.e., 50.7 mg·g−1). Moreover, all these three materials also demonstrated the remarkable electrosorption selectivity of Yb(III) from the mixed solution, and the robust durability with over 90 % of initial capacities after ten consecutive electrosorption-desorption cycles. Furthermore, the XPS characterizations and electrosorption results revealed that the electrosorption mechanism mainly depended on the synergistic effects of intrinsic Faraday redox reaction, electric double layer capacitance and active binding sites. Therefore, this work provided a feasible strategy for the separation of rare earth elements from aqueous solution, and the prospective applications related to the recovery of rare earth elements from mining wastes or spent permanent magnets in future life.

Plant extract mediated in-situ synthesis of iron/manganese alginate hydrosphere and its excellent recovery of rare earth elements in mine wastewater

The recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) is a major issue based on environmental governance and sustainable resource utilization. In this study, we developed a novel hydrogel material (Fe/Mn@ALG) by anchoring Fe/Mn NPs on alginate spheres, where Fe/Mn NPs were in-situ synthesized using Euphorbia cochinchensi leaf extract as reduced and protection agents. The Fe/Mn@ALG was applied directly to real mine wastewater, generating efficient and selective recovery of REEs with the coexistence of numerous competing metal ions. As results have shown, Fe/Mn@ALG was a useful adsorbent for REEs with an adsorption efficiency 78.62 % achieved, which was also confirmed by distribution coefficients (Kd), up to 2451.66 mL·g−1. Furthermore, Fe/Mn@ALG exhibited preferential response to REEs over other metal ions with the separation factor (SF) being up to 240. This great adsorption performance and selectivity toward REEs were attributed to its specific surface area, oxygen-rich functional groups and negatively charged surface in acid wastewater. Furthermore, REEs could be greatly desorbed from Fe/Mn@ALG with output concentration being three times higher than the initial concentration. Additionally, Fe/Mn@ALG maintained its good adsorption performance with efficiency reaching 72.24 % after five reuses. Overall, Fe/Mn@ALG can be considered as a promising candidate for wastewater remediation and sustainable management of resources.

Enhancing the performance of paraffin's phase change material through a hybrid scheme utilizing sand core matrix

Smart waste management and valorisation is presented in the current investigation. Iron is collected from mining wastewater stream and augmented with sand as a supporting material to produce sand core. The sand core pellets encapsulated in paraffin’s to enhance its feasibility as phase change material (PCM). Sand core was characterized using X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) augmented with energy dispersive X-ray spectrum analysis. Experimental test is achieved by mixing sand core/iron and paraffin that is signified as an encapsulated phase change material. The encapsulated sand core-PCM is embedded in varies mass weights of percentages of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0% and labeled as 0.5%-sand core-PCM, 1.0%-sand core-PCM, 1.5%-sand core-PCM and 2.0%-sand core-PCM. The encapsulated sand core-PCM is embedded into a heat exchanger of the vertical type model that is connected with a flat plate solar collector. Such collector is heating the heat transfer carrier, which is exposed to the heat exchanger for melting the PCM. The experimental work is conducted across the solar noon where the solar intensity in the region is reached to 1162 W/m2 at the time of conducting experiments. Water is applied and supposed as the working heat transfer fluid transporter and pumped into the system at the rate of 0.0014 kg per second. The experimental result revealed that the heat gained recorded an enhancement from 7 to 48 kJ/min when the 1.5%-sand core-PCM system is applied. Thus, the results showed the system is a good candidate by increasing the system efficiency with 92% as a potential solution of solar energy storage at the off-time periods.

Characterizing and tracing the heavy metals' spatial distribution in karst surface river affected by acid mine drainage

A series of pollution problems have been caused by the drainage of closed coal mines. This study focuses on the XZ River in Guizhou Province, employing a comprehensive approach involving hydrochemical analysis, mathematical statistics, and one-dimensional water quality modeling to investigate the spatial evolution and source apportionment of heavy metals in karst surface rivers affected by AMD. The average pH, EC, and Eh values of groundwater and surface water in the XZ river basin were 6.27, 331 &lt;i&gt;μ&lt;/i&gt;s/cm, 230 mV and 3.86, 1671.57 &lt;i&gt;μ&lt;/i&gt;s/cm, 412.71 mV, respectively, indicating severe pollution of surface water by AMD. The study reveals that groundwater in the XZ River Basin is predominantly of the HCO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-Ca-Mg type, shifting to HCO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-SO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;-Ca-Mg type with the influx of acid mine wastewater. Utilizing statistical methods for source apportionment analysis indicated that downstream concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, As, and Sr most likely originate from tributaries. Further analysis through one-dimensional water quality simulation confirmed that downstream concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, As, and Sr are attributed to tributaries. This suggests that XZ River is affected by pollution from different coal mines, primarily from coal mine M4, followed by coal mine M1.

Dual carbon isotopes (δ13C and Δ14C) were used to reveal the main sources and input fluxes of dissolved inorganic carbon in a karst reservoir in winter

In karst areas, the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations in aquatic systems are typically higher than that in non-karst areas due to intensive carbonate rock weathering. Understanding the sources and input fluxes of DIC in karst reservoirs is crucial for regional carbon cycle studies. This study utilized dual carbon isotopes (δ13CDIC and Δ14CDIC) to estimate the contribution rates and input fluxes of DIC from various sources in Aha Reservoir (AHR), located in southwestern China. Our results indicated that the DIC concentrations (22.33–32.79 mg L−1) and δ13CDIC values (−10.02‰ to −8.55‰) were nearly homogeneous both vertically and laterally in the reservoir (p > 0.05). The Δ14CDIC values (−246.31‰ to −137.86‰) were homogeneous along the vertical profile (p > 0.05), but showed significant horizontal variation (p < 0.05), with values decreasing from −149.57 ± 10.27‰ to −232.85 ± 2.37‰ at the mouths of the inflowing rivers. We found that the inflowing rivers were the primary DIC sources to AHR, contributing 70% of the total input, while groundwater and atmospheric CO2 contributions were relatively minor, at 18% and 12%, respectively. The Jinzhong River (JZR), influenced by industrial and domestic wastewater discharge, contributed the largest DIC input flux at 2.01 t/(km2·mon). In contrast, the Youyu River (YYR), influenced by acidic mine drainage, and the Baiyan River (BYR), influenced by agricultural activities, contributed relatively smaller DIC input fluxes of 1.29 t/(km2·mon) and 1.03 t/(km2·mon), respectively. This study highlights the significant impact of anthropogenic activities on DIC input in AHR, with industrial and domestic wastewater discharges having a greater influence than agricultural activities and acidic mine wastewater inputs. These findings underscore the critical need to manage and mitigate the impacts of human activities on karst reservoir ecosystems.

Comparative Analysis of Locally Sourced Adsorbents for Iponda and Idominasi, Abandoned Gold Mine Wastewater Bioremediation in Osun State, Nigeria

This study investigates and compares the effects of Neem leaf (NL) and coconut husk (CCH) adsorbents in reducing the levels of heavy metal concentration and elemental content in wastewater from two specific abandoned gold mining sites, namely Iponda (Iponda wastewater- IPWW) (longitude 4°43'18''E, Latitude 7°43'57''N ) and Idominasi (Idominasi wastewater -IDWW) (longitude 4°42'0''E, Latitude 7°40'59''N). Preparation of locally sourced adsorbents, bioremediation process through adsorption and physico-chemical analysis of the treated wastewater samples were carried out. Adsorbents were prepared from washed, air-dried neem leaves, grinded to 40 microns size to facilitate penetration of the adsorbate. In addition, washed and airdried CCH was carbonized in an electric muffle furnace at between 300 0C and 350 0C over a period of 30 minutes, and then granulated and sieved with a mesh size of 40 µm to ensure uniform size. Measured dosages of adsorbent (0.5 g, 0.75 g, and 1 g) were added to a 50 ml volume of wastewater and the mixture was agitated at different speeds ranging from 30 rpm to 120 rpm. The treated wastewater samples were then subjected to various physico-chemical analytical tests to determine the effect of the adsorbents on the reduction of the heavy metal concentration and elemental content of the wasted water samples. The results of this study demonstrate that both NL and CCH adsorbents have a significant impact on the wastewater from the two abandoned gold mining sites, IPWW and IDWW. This impact is reflected in the reduction of heavy metal and other element concentrations in the wastewater. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the bioremediation process is more effective when utilizing NL compared to carbonized CCH. Locally sourced cheap non-edible biomass materials hitherto considered as wastes have proved to be highly effective and efficient when used as adsorbents in the treatment of wastewater from abandoned gold mining sites. This is evident from the results obtained from this study.

Artificial neural network model for extracting knowledge from the electro‐Fenton process for acid mine wastewater treatment

Artificial neural network model for extracting knowledge from the electro‐Fenton process for acid mine wastewater treatment

Development of bioflocculants for mineral processing

Mining and minerals processing are essential to modern society, and the demand for metals and minerals is increasing due to the rapid development of clean energy technologies, such as electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, etc. The mining industry, however, is facing significant challenges in meeting sustainability and environmental goals. As more minerals are extracted, the use of water increases, leading to greater wastewater and tailings production. To tackle this issue, flocculants are commonly used across mining sites to dewater waste streams by binding and settling particles, to allow for improved solid-liquid separation. While conventional flocculants (synthetic polymers often derived from petrochemicals) are effective in rapidly settling particles, they present several issues, such as high levels of entrapped water, ineffective fine particle separation, and environmental and health concerns. To address these challenges, bioflocculants have been proposed as alternative flocculants. This review explores three main bioflocculant research directions, including plant based, graft copolymers, and microbial flocculants, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each. The ratio of flocculant dose to suspended solids (i.e. flocculant dose ratio) and the flocculation efficiency in these studies related to mineral and mining wastewater solid-liquid separation are evaluated. Finally, the review proposes future opportunities and directions to mitigate issues that have historically made bioflocculants less appealing. These include enhancing the recyclability of flocculants as well as advancing protein design and modification.

Use of mining effluents for the production of algal-based colorants

In this research, a mining effluent was used to produce microalgal and cyanobacterial biomass to obtain red (carotenoids) and blue pigments (phycocyanin). Two strains were isolated from a hydrothermal source in Norte de Santander and grown in mining wastewater mixed with 50% BG-11 medium for the Osci_UFPS01 cyanobacterium and 50% with Bold Basal medium for the Chlo_UFPS01 microalgae. A carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus experiment design was developed, and subsequent response surface analysis (RSM) was used to determine the optimal operating conditions for the formation of the products of interest. A notable decrease in pigment production was observed compared to that in the controls without mining wastewater. Overall, 45% of phycocyanin (C PC) per unit dry weight (DW) and 1,129% (w/w) of carotenoids were obtained in the cultures with a mining wastewater mixture in the final optimization processes.

The green resource recovery process of a new type of selective bipolar membrane electrodialysis system for saline wastewater treatment

The selective electrodialysis with bipolar membrane (BMSED) is an advanced electro-membrane process that combines monovalent perm-selective ion exchange membrane and a bipolar membrane, and presented significant potential in high salinity wastewater treatment and reclamation. Herein, we accomplished an in-depth assessment of the external-integration and internal-integration systems for the treatment of high-salinity mining wastewater and seawater desalination concentrate brine. The issues surrounding their cycling performance during batch operation, their anti-fouling potential in the presence of Mg2+/Ca2+ ions, and its specific operational cost were thoroughly investigated. The results suggest that the internal integration system demonstrates suitable stability during long-term operation under batch (cycling) mode. Nevertheless, the membrane exhibited inorganic scaling due to co-ion leakage at high current density. A highly pure NaOH was obtained through an internal integration process at a cost of 0.68 $/kg, outperforming the external integration system (98.96 %, 1.85 $/kg). The findings presented in this study offer valuable insights for the industrial application of BMSED technology in managing high salinity wastewaters.

Selective recovery of europium from real acid mine drainage using modified Cr-MIL and SBA15 adsorbents

The successful adoption and widespread implementation of innovative acid mine drainage treatment and resource recovery methods hinge on their capacity to demonstrate enhanced performance, economic viability, and environmental sustainability compared to conventional approaches. Here, an evaluation of the efficacy of chromium-based metal–organic frameworks and amine-grafted SBA15 materials in adsorbing europium (Eu) from actual mining wastewater was conducted. The adsorbents underwent comprehensive characterization and examination for their affinity for Eu. Cr-MIL-PMIDA and SBA15-NH-PMIDA had a highest Langmuir adsorption capacity of 69 mg/g and 86 mg/g, respectively, for an optimum level of pH 4.8. Preferential adsorption tests followed using real AMD collected at a disused mine in the north of Norway. A comparative study utilizing pH-adjusted real AMD revealed that Cr-MIL-PMIDA (88%) exhibited slightly higher selectivity towards Eu compared to SBA15-NH-PMIDA (81%) in real mining wastewater. While Cr-MIL-PMIDA displays excellent properties for the selective recovery of REEs, practical challenges related to production costs and potential susceptibility to chromium leaching make it less appealing for widespread applications. A cost–benefit analysis was then undertaken to quantify the advantages of employing SBA15-NH-PMIDA material. The study disclosed that 193.2 g of EuCl3 with 99% purity can be recovered by treating 1000 m3 of AMD.

Green Transformation of Mining towards Energy Self-Sufficiency in a Circular Economy—A Case Study

This article presents the concept of green transformation of the coal mining sector. Pump stations that belong to Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń S.A. (SRK S.A., Bytom, Poland) pump out approximately 100 million m3 of mine water annually. These pump stations protect neighboring mines and lower-lying areas from flooding and protect subsurface aquifers from contamination. The largest cost component of maintaining a pumping station is the expenditure for purchasing electricity. Investment towards renewable energy sources will reduce the environmental footprint of pumping station operation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The concept of liquidation of an exemplary mining site in the context of a circular economy by proposing the development/revitalization of a coal mine site is presented. This concept involves the construction of a complex consisting of photovoltaic farms combined with efficient energy storage in the form of green hydrogen produced by water electrolysis. For this purpose, the potential of liquidated mining sites will be utilized, including the use of pumped mine wastewater. This article is conceptual. In order to reach the stated objective, a body of literature and legal regulations was analyzed, and an empirical study was conducted. Various scenarios for the operation of mine pumping stations have been proposed. The options presented provide full or nearly full energy self-sufficiency of the proposed pumping station operation concept. The effect of applying any option for upgrading the pumping station could result in the creation of jobs that are alternatives to mining jobs and a guarantee of efficient asset management.

The influence of exploration activities of a potential lithium mine to the environment in Western Serbia

The proposed exploitation of the Jadar Valley lithium/borate deposit in Serbia, by the Rio Tinto Corporation, indicates that it would become large-scale processing of boron- and lithium-containing ore. It would be one of the world’s very first lithium mines in populated and agricultural area. The company claims that the envisioned mining will be in accordance with environmental protection requirements. The Jadar Valley deposits have been claimed to cover 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs. Yet, local opposition to the mining has arisen due to potential devastating impacts on groundwater, soil, water usage, biodiversity loss, and waste accumulation. Research drilling by the mining company has already produced environmental damage, with mine water containing high levels of boron leaking from exploratory wells and causing crops to dry out. Furthermore, our investigations reveal substantially elevated downstream concentrations of boron, arsenic, and lithium in nearby rivers as compared to upstream regions. Additionally, here we show that soil samples exhibit repeated breaches of remediation limit values with environmental consequences on both surface and underground waters. With the opening of the mine, problems will be multiplied by the tailings pond, mine wastewater, noise, air pollution, and light pollution, endangering the lives of numerous local communities and destroying their freshwater sources, agricultural land, livestock, and assets.