Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining—With Special Reference to South Africa
Gold mining has serious negative environmental impacts, especially due to pollution emanating from tailings storage facilities (TSFs, tailings dams, slimes dams). The most important forms of pollution from TSFs are acid mine drainage (AMD) and high levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). AMD ar...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Mining |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6489/3/2/12 |
| _version_ | 1797593367136174080 |
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| author | Michiel C. Laker |
| author_facet | Michiel C. Laker |
| author_sort | Michiel C. Laker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gold mining has serious negative environmental impacts, especially due to pollution emanating from tailings storage facilities (TSFs, tailings dams, slimes dams). The most important forms of pollution from TSFs are acid mine drainage (AMD) and high levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). AMD arises from the high levels of pyrite in the mining ores, which become oxidised in the TSFs where the pyrite is exposed to atmospheric oxygen. The sulphate produced from oxidation of the sulphide in the pyrite dissolves in water to form sulphuric acid, a very strong acid. pH levels in the extremely low range of 3–4 are common. At such low pH the mobilities of numerous metallic PTEs present in gold mine tailings become extremely high, causing them to move into the environment in AMD. AMD acidifies soils to very low pH levels at which the mobility and plant-availability of metallic PTEs are very high, causing toxicities. Very disconcerting is that AMD and PTE pollution is in some cases continueing unabated at high rates even more than 70 years after a mine has been abandoned. Rehabilitation of TSFs to contain AMD and PTEs within them is very expensive and there seems to be reluctance to fully commit to their rehabilitation. Rehabilitation of TSFs is also extremely difficult. There does not yet seem to be any guidelines for their effective rehabilitation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:07:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9126136283db465aba05cc83f2c7c523 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-6489 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:07:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Mining |
| spelling | doaj.art-9126136283db465aba05cc83f2c7c5232023-11-18T11:46:12ZengMDPI AGMining2673-64892023-03-013220522010.3390/mining3020012Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining—With Special Reference to South AfricaMichiel C. Laker0Emeritus-Professor of Soil Science, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood, Pretoria 0081, South AfricaGold mining has serious negative environmental impacts, especially due to pollution emanating from tailings storage facilities (TSFs, tailings dams, slimes dams). The most important forms of pollution from TSFs are acid mine drainage (AMD) and high levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs). AMD arises from the high levels of pyrite in the mining ores, which become oxidised in the TSFs where the pyrite is exposed to atmospheric oxygen. The sulphate produced from oxidation of the sulphide in the pyrite dissolves in water to form sulphuric acid, a very strong acid. pH levels in the extremely low range of 3–4 are common. At such low pH the mobilities of numerous metallic PTEs present in gold mine tailings become extremely high, causing them to move into the environment in AMD. AMD acidifies soils to very low pH levels at which the mobility and plant-availability of metallic PTEs are very high, causing toxicities. Very disconcerting is that AMD and PTE pollution is in some cases continueing unabated at high rates even more than 70 years after a mine has been abandoned. Rehabilitation of TSFs to contain AMD and PTEs within them is very expensive and there seems to be reluctance to fully commit to their rehabilitation. Rehabilitation of TSFs is also extremely difficult. There does not yet seem to be any guidelines for their effective rehabilitation.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6489/3/2/12gold miningpyriteacid mine drainagepotentially toxic elements |
| spellingShingle | Michiel C. Laker Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining—With Special Reference to South Africa Mining gold mining pyrite acid mine drainage potentially toxic elements |
| title | Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining—With Special Reference to South Africa |
| title_full | Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining—With Special Reference to South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining—With Special Reference to South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining—With Special Reference to South Africa |
| title_short | Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining—With Special Reference to South Africa |
| title_sort | environmental impacts of gold mining with special reference to south africa |
| topic | gold mining pyrite acid mine drainage potentially toxic elements |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6489/3/2/12 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michielclaker environmentalimpactsofgoldminingwithspecialreferencetosouthafrica |