Oxidation of man-made mineral formations with acid waste water at sulphide-containing waste dumps: A case-study of Karabash agglomeration

Man-made mineral formations in the area of Karabash agglomeration are the source of environmental pollution. They undergo the effects of rainfall all year round, and are in contact with acid waste water. The test samples of man-made mineral formations were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and electron scan microscopy. Morphologically, slags are generally black and glassy, and have different sizes—from a few millimeters to dozens centimeters. Mineralogically, slags feature 8 basic types of minerals: quartz, fayalite, spinel-like phases, wurtzite, willemite, chalcopyrite, chalcosine and greenockite. The testing shows that when a sulphide-containing slagheap gets in contact with acid underspoil water, the crystal structure of slag fails completely and heavy metals get leached into the environment. The oxidized slag layer contains such minerals as muscovite, quartz, clinochlore, gypsum, pyrite and lizardite, including dominant heavy metals of Fe, S, Cu, Zn, As and Pb. The tests prove that slag is not inert relative to the environment. Reactions of oxidation of crystalline slag run inside the slagheap, and heavy metals are liberated from the crystal lattice and can migrate to the adjacent terrain. The research findings can promote revising the methods and means of storage of man-made mineral formations. The test data on the content of heavy metals and on the mineral composition of waste suggest usability of slag as a recycling feedstock.

Shabanov M. V., Marichev M. S., Minkina T. M., Sokolov А. A. Oxidation of manmade mineral formations with acid waste water at sulphide-containing waste dumps: A casestudy of Karabash agglomeration. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2024;(4):69-85. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2024_4_0_69.

The study was carried out at the Southern Federal University and was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Grant No. 21-77-20089.

M.V. Shabanov¹, Cand. Sci. (Agr.), Assistant Assistant Professor, e-mail: geohim.spb@gmail.com, Scopus Author ID: 35171489500, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4725-3673,
M.S. Marichev¹, Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Head of Laboratory, e-mail: m.s.marichev@yandex.ru, Scopus Author ID: 57216298057, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0429-2234,
T.M. Minkina, Dr. Sci. (Biol.), Professor, Head of Chair, Southern Federal University, 344006, Rostov-on-Don, Russia, e-mail: minkina@sfedu.ru, Scopus Author ID: 15063165400, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3022-0883,
А.A. Sokolov, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, Branch of Southern Federal University in Gelendzhik, Gelendzhik, Russia, e-mail: anso@sfedu.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1127-9612,
¹ Saint-Petersburg State Agrarian University, 196605, Pushkin, Russia.

M.S. Marichev, e-mail: m.s.marichev@yandex.ru.

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