The modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows: The case of phosphorus in the Paraopeba River basin
The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to assess total phosphorus concentrations (TOT-P) and fluxes (TOT_P) in the Paraopeba River basin, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, following the collapse of tailings dam B1 in Brumadinho. The model was calibrated and validated for peri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016424000951 |
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| author | Renata Cristina Araújo Costa Regina Maria Bessa Santos Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes Fernando António Leal Pacheco Marília Carvalho de Melo Carlos Alberto Valera Renato Farias do Valle Junior Maytê Maria Abreu Pires de Melo Silva Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra |
| author_facet | Renata Cristina Araújo Costa Regina Maria Bessa Santos Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes Fernando António Leal Pacheco Marília Carvalho de Melo Carlos Alberto Valera Renato Farias do Valle Junior Maytê Maria Abreu Pires de Melo Silva Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra |
| author_sort | Renata Cristina Araújo Costa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to assess total phosphorus concentrations (TOT-P) and fluxes (TOT_P) in the Paraopeba River basin, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, following the collapse of tailings dam B1 in Brumadinho. The model was calibrated and validated for periods before (2000–2018) and after (2019–2021) the collapse of Brumadinho dam in 25 January 2019, with great accuracy measured by various performance indicators (e.g., R2 ≈ 0.8). The flow of phosphorus-containing sludge from the iron-ore tailings explored in the Córrego do Feijão Mine of Vale, SA, and released after the B1 dam break has impacted the Paraopeba River water through large increments in the TOT-P near the dam site (60–100%, with pre-rupture values varying between 0.06 and 0.1 mg/L). But other major sources were flagged, namely urban sources from the Betim region that raised TOT-P to ≈ 0.9 mg/L periodically during the entire simulation period. The study also revealed controls of TOT-P concentration in the basin, namely the coverage by forests that lowered down the TOT-P at 0.5–0.8 μg/L.km2. The lowering rate was, however, dependent on the occupation by argisols. As per the simulation results, the larger the percentage of argisols in a region the larger the TOT-P will be in the surrounding water courses, meaning that the argisols are prone to erosion and phosphorus leaching. A cluster analysis of input (e.g., terrain slope, soil type) and output (e.g., runoff) variables from the SWAT allowed relating TOT-P with surface- and TOT_P with underground-dominant hydrological processes, respectively runoff and groundwater flow, linking them to specific environmental variables such as argisols and steep slopes in the first case and latosols and smooth landscapes in the second case. The management implications retrieved from this holistic assessment were discussed. Finally, the TOT-P were checked against Brazilian environmental standards. In that regard, the concentration of total phosphorus was compared to limits established in Resolution 454/2012 of the National Environmental Council – CONAMA. Some sub-basins exhibited levels above the legal threshold, and the contamination was viewed as systemic requiring immediate action (e.g., implementation of sewage treatment and best management practices in agriculture), as well as monitoring in the spatial and temporal frames. The existence of extreme rainfall events in the basin was the main cause of SWAT model inaccuracies, namely of overestimated TOT-P. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:49:03Z |
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| id | doaj.art-fc75af738f7b4a3bb7892437bf328793 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-0164 |
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| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T16:49:03Z |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc75af738f7b4a3bb7892437bf3287932024-03-29T05:51:08ZengElsevierCase Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering2666-01642024-06-019100701The modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows: The case of phosphorus in the Paraopeba River basinRenata Cristina Araújo Costa0Regina Maria Bessa Santos1Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes2Fernando António Leal Pacheco3Marília Carvalho de Melo4Carlos Alberto Valera5Renato Farias do Valle Junior6Maytê Maria Abreu Pires de Melo Silva7Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra8Guarulhos University (UNG), Praça Tereza Cristina 239, 07023-070, Guarulhos, SP, BrazilCentre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences—CITAB, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal; Chemistry Centre of Vila Real—CQVR, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801, Vila Real, PortugalCentre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences—CITAB, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801, Vila Real, PortugalChemistry Centre of Vila Real—CQVR, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal; Corresponding author.Secretaria de Estado de Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Cidade Administrativa do Estado de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31630-900, MG, BrazilCoordenadoria Regional das Promotorias de Justiça do Meio Ambiente das Bacias dos Rios Paranaíba e Baixo Rio Grande, Uberaba, 38061-150, MG, BrazilGeoprocessing Laboratory, Uberaba Campus, Federal Institute of Triângulo Mineiro (IFTM), Uberaba, 38064-790, MG, BrazilGeoprocessing Laboratory, Uberaba Campus, Federal Institute of Triângulo Mineiro (IFTM), Uberaba, 38064-790, MG, BrazilSchool of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, São Paulo State University (Unesp), Jaboticabal, 14884-900, SP, BrazilThe Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to assess total phosphorus concentrations (TOT-P) and fluxes (TOT_P) in the Paraopeba River basin, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, following the collapse of tailings dam B1 in Brumadinho. The model was calibrated and validated for periods before (2000–2018) and after (2019–2021) the collapse of Brumadinho dam in 25 January 2019, with great accuracy measured by various performance indicators (e.g., R2 ≈ 0.8). The flow of phosphorus-containing sludge from the iron-ore tailings explored in the Córrego do Feijão Mine of Vale, SA, and released after the B1 dam break has impacted the Paraopeba River water through large increments in the TOT-P near the dam site (60–100%, with pre-rupture values varying between 0.06 and 0.1 mg/L). But other major sources were flagged, namely urban sources from the Betim region that raised TOT-P to ≈ 0.9 mg/L periodically during the entire simulation period. The study also revealed controls of TOT-P concentration in the basin, namely the coverage by forests that lowered down the TOT-P at 0.5–0.8 μg/L.km2. The lowering rate was, however, dependent on the occupation by argisols. As per the simulation results, the larger the percentage of argisols in a region the larger the TOT-P will be in the surrounding water courses, meaning that the argisols are prone to erosion and phosphorus leaching. A cluster analysis of input (e.g., terrain slope, soil type) and output (e.g., runoff) variables from the SWAT allowed relating TOT-P with surface- and TOT_P with underground-dominant hydrological processes, respectively runoff and groundwater flow, linking them to specific environmental variables such as argisols and steep slopes in the first case and latosols and smooth landscapes in the second case. The management implications retrieved from this holistic assessment were discussed. Finally, the TOT-P were checked against Brazilian environmental standards. In that regard, the concentration of total phosphorus was compared to limits established in Resolution 454/2012 of the National Environmental Council – CONAMA. Some sub-basins exhibited levels above the legal threshold, and the contamination was viewed as systemic requiring immediate action (e.g., implementation of sewage treatment and best management practices in agriculture), as well as monitoring in the spatial and temporal frames. The existence of extreme rainfall events in the basin was the main cause of SWAT model inaccuracies, namely of overestimated TOT-P.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016424000951SWAT modelTotal phosphorusLegal limitsForest coverArgisolsManagement and monitoring |
| spellingShingle | Renata Cristina Araújo Costa Regina Maria Bessa Santos Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes Fernando António Leal Pacheco Marília Carvalho de Melo Carlos Alberto Valera Renato Farias do Valle Junior Maytê Maria Abreu Pires de Melo Silva Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra The modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows: The case of phosphorus in the Paraopeba River basin Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering SWAT model Total phosphorus Legal limits Forest cover Argisols Management and monitoring |
| title | The modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows: The case of phosphorus in the Paraopeba River basin |
| title_full | The modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows: The case of phosphorus in the Paraopeba River basin |
| title_fullStr | The modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows: The case of phosphorus in the Paraopeba River basin |
| title_full_unstemmed | The modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows: The case of phosphorus in the Paraopeba River basin |
| title_short | The modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows: The case of phosphorus in the Paraopeba River basin |
| title_sort | modelling of river water contamination by tailings mudflows the case of phosphorus in the paraopeba river basin |
| topic | SWAT model Total phosphorus Legal limits Forest cover Argisols Management and monitoring |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666016424000951 |
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