Remediation Opportunities for Arsenic-Contaminated Gold Mine Waste
Source abstract
Abstract
Arsenic (As)-contaminated gold mine waste is a global problem and poses a significant risk to the ecosystem and community (e.g., carcinogenic, toxicity). Arsenic concentrations of 77,000 mg/kg and 22,000 mg/kg in mine waste have been reported for Canada and Australia, respectively. Research is investigating environmentally sustainable techniques to remediate As-rich mine waste. Biological techniques involving plants (phytoremediation) and soil amendments have been studied to bioaccumulate As from soil (phytoextraction) or stabilise As in the rhizosphere (phytostabilisation). Identified plant species for phytoremediation are predominately fern species, which are problematic for arid to semi-arid climates, typical of gold mining areas. There is a need to identify native plant species that are compatible with arid to semi-arid climates. Arsenic is toxic to plants; therefore, it is vital to assess soil amendments and their ability to reduce toxicity, enhance plant growth, and improve soil conditions. The effectiveness of a soil-amending phytoremediation technique is dependent on soil properties, geochemical background, and As concentrations/speciation; hence, it is vital to use field soil. There is a lack of studies involving mine waste soil collected from the field. Future research is needed to design soil-amending phytoremediation techniques with site-specific mine waste soil and native plant species.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Heavy metals in environment · Mine drainage and remediation techniques · Arsenic contamination and mitigation
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Environment Protection Authority Victoria, EPA Science, Centre for Applied Sciences, Ernest Jones Drive, Macleod, Melbourne, VIC 3085, Australia
Australian Research Council Training Centre for the Transformation of Australia’s Biosolids Resource, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
School of Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
Funding
RMIT University research scholarship · Environment Protection Authority Victoria top-up scholarship
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