Open AccessAnalysis and technology to reduce the impact of tailings on the ecology of local water bodies
Author(s) -
Р. Т. Бржанов,
Людмила Ивановна Софронова,
S. A. Abramova
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/962/4/042068
Subject(s) - tailings , environmental science , groundwater , pollutant , uranium ore , radioactive waste , waste management , aquatic ecosystem , radionuclide , uranium , mineral processing , environmental engineering , mining engineering , environmental chemistry , geology , ecology , engineering , chemistry , metallurgy , materials science , physics , geotechnical engineering , quantum mechanics , biology
An integral part of the technological chain in the processing of uranium ores is a tailing dump designed for organizational disposal and long-term storage of tailings. There are up to 170 production and monitoring wells around the tailings for comprehensive monitoring of the impact of the tailings on groundwater. Wastewater is discharged from the industrial site into the Aksu riverbed after preliminary complex biological treatment at the sanitary treatment facilities. This article provides an analysis of pollutants from the processing of uranium ores. Studies have found that arsenic, molybdenum, uranium, and radium are the main pollutants that affect surface and groundwater. Under the influence of precipitation, the oxidation of ore minerals, many radioactive and chemical elements transform into more mobile forms and enter the environment. The main accumulator of radionuclides is bottom sediments. It is this component of the aquatic ecosystem that determines the mechanism and rate of redistribution of radionuclides. The analysis of water samples from the tailing dump itself and from surface water bodies in the area of the GMZ industrial site in the direction of thalwegs was carried out.