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Ruslan R. Nureev
Ruslan R. Nureev
Postgraduate Student
Saint Petersburg Mining University
Postgraduate Student
Saint Petersburg Mining University

Articles

Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
  • Date submitted
    2022-11-02
  • Date accepted
    2023-03-02
  • Online publication date
    2023-04-13
  • Date published
    2023-04-25

Environmental damage from the storage of sulfide ore tailings

Article preview

The mining industry is one of the most challenging in ensuring environmental safety. During the last century, the Karabash Copper Smelting Plant was processing sulfide ores and depositing the tailings into storage facilities that now occupy an area of more than 50 hectares. To date, abandoned tailings are a significant source of natural water, air, and soil pollution in the Karabash city district. The article comprehensively examines the environmental impact of the Karabashmed copper smelter, one of the oldest metallurgical enterprises in Russia. The effects of seepage from the two Karabashmed tailings facilities on water resources were assessed. We revealed that even outside the area of the direct impact of processing waste, the pH of natural water decreases to values 4-5. Further downstream, the infiltration water from the tailings pond No. 4 reduces the pH of river water to 3.0-3.5. The presented results of environmental engineering surveys are derived from sampling water and bottom sediments of the Ryzhiy Stream and the Sak-Elga River, sample preparation, and quantitative chemical analysis. The study revealed significant exceedances of the maximum permissible concentrations for a number of chemical elements in the impact zone of the copper ore processing tailings.

How to cite: Pashkevich M.A., Alekseenko A.V., Nureev R.R. Environmental damage from the storage of sulfide ore tailings // Journal of Mining Institute. 2023. Vol. 260. p. 155-167. DOI: 10.31897/PMI.2023.32