Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, Russia
The Urals (Russia) are among the largest mining areas in the world, with millions of tons of mine waste deposited. An old sulfidic tailing dump formed over decades of mining activities at the Sibay ore-processing plant is a typical cause of acid mine drainage (AMD) formation, posing a threat to ecos...
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Minerals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/14/1/23 |
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| author | Maxim Muravyov Dmitry Radchenko Maria Tsupkina Vladislav Babenko Anna Panyushkina |
| author_facet | Maxim Muravyov Dmitry Radchenko Maria Tsupkina Vladislav Babenko Anna Panyushkina |
| author_sort | Maxim Muravyov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Urals (Russia) are among the largest mining areas in the world, with millions of tons of mine waste deposited. An old sulfidic tailing dump formed over decades of mining activities at the Sibay ore-processing plant is a typical cause of acid mine drainage (AMD) formation, posing a threat to ecosystems of neighboring environments. In this study, the formation of oxidized surface soil layers in four zones of the Sibay tailing dump was revealed, and their chemical–mineralogical and physical–mechanical characteristics were analyzed. According to the results of the metabarcoding of hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA genes, oxidation in soil layers was associated with the activity of sulfur- and iron-oxidizing acidophiles represented by a few genera: <i>Ferroacidibacillus</i>, <i>Sulfoacidibacillus</i>, <i>Sulfobacillus</i>, and <i>Ferroplasma</i>. The structure of the microbial communities in soil layers differed depending on the zone and depth of sampling. In the samples characterized by the weak oxidation of sulfide minerals, microbial communities were dominated by bacteria of the genus <i>Pseudomonas</i>. The data obtained in this research are of importance to predict the oxidation/leaching processes in mine wastes and their negative environmental impacts in the mining region, as well as to develop technologies for processing these raw materials. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:39:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a1b21463184b4b7a85ba58eaea725829 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-163X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T10:39:33Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Minerals |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1b21463184b4b7a85ba58eaea7258292024-01-26T17:51:36ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2023-12-011412310.3390/min14010023Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, RussiaMaxim Muravyov0Dmitry Radchenko1Maria Tsupkina2Vladislav Babenko3Anna Panyushkina4Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Centre “Fundamentals of Biotechnology”, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Ave., 33, Bld. 2, 119071 Moscow, RussiaInstitute of Comprehensive Exploitation of Mineral Resources, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kryukovsky tupik, 4, 111020 Moscow, RussiaInstitute of Comprehensive Exploitation of Mineral Resources, Russian Academy of Sciences, Kryukovsky tupik, 4, 111020 Moscow, RussiaWinogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Centre “Fundamentals of Biotechnology”, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Ave., 33, Bld. 2, 119071 Moscow, RussiaWinogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Centre “Fundamentals of Biotechnology”, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky Ave., 33, Bld. 2, 119071 Moscow, RussiaThe Urals (Russia) are among the largest mining areas in the world, with millions of tons of mine waste deposited. An old sulfidic tailing dump formed over decades of mining activities at the Sibay ore-processing plant is a typical cause of acid mine drainage (AMD) formation, posing a threat to ecosystems of neighboring environments. In this study, the formation of oxidized surface soil layers in four zones of the Sibay tailing dump was revealed, and their chemical–mineralogical and physical–mechanical characteristics were analyzed. According to the results of the metabarcoding of hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA genes, oxidation in soil layers was associated with the activity of sulfur- and iron-oxidizing acidophiles represented by a few genera: <i>Ferroacidibacillus</i>, <i>Sulfoacidibacillus</i>, <i>Sulfobacillus</i>, and <i>Ferroplasma</i>. The structure of the microbial communities in soil layers differed depending on the zone and depth of sampling. In the samples characterized by the weak oxidation of sulfide minerals, microbial communities were dominated by bacteria of the genus <i>Pseudomonas</i>. The data obtained in this research are of importance to predict the oxidation/leaching processes in mine wastes and their negative environmental impacts in the mining region, as well as to develop technologies for processing these raw materials.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/14/1/23tailing dumpbioleachingacidophilic microorganismsmicrobial communitysulfides |
| spellingShingle | Maxim Muravyov Dmitry Radchenko Maria Tsupkina Vladislav Babenko Anna Panyushkina Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, Russia Minerals tailing dump bioleaching acidophilic microorganisms microbial community sulfides |
| title | Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, Russia |
| title_full | Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, Russia |
| title_fullStr | Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, Russia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, Russia |
| title_short | Old Sulfidic Ore Tailing Dump: Ground Features, Mineralogy, Biodiversity—A Case Study from Sibay, Russia |
| title_sort | old sulfidic ore tailing dump ground features mineralogy biodiversity a case study from sibay russia |
| topic | tailing dump bioleaching acidophilic microorganisms microbial community sulfides |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/14/1/23 |
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