%0 Journal Article
%T Potential Use of Organic- and Hard-Rock Mine Wastes on Aided Phytostabilization of Large-Scale Mine Tailings under Semiarid Mediterranean Climatic Conditions: Short-Term Field Study
%A Claudia Santiba£¿ez
%A Luz Mar¨ªa de la Fuente
%A Elena Bustamante
%A Sergio Silva
%A Pedro Le¨®n-Lobos
%A Rosanna Ginocchio
%J Applied and Environmental Soil Science
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/895817
%X The study evaluated the efficacy of organic- and hard-rock mine waste type materials on aided phytostabilization of Cu mine tailings under semiarid Mediterranean conditions in order to promote integrated waste management practices at local levels and to rehabilitate large-scale (from 300 to 3,000£¿ha) postoperative tailings storage facilities (TSFs). A field trial with 13 treatments was established on a TSF to test the efficacy of six waste-type locally available amendments (grape and olive residues, biosolids, goat manure, sediments from irrigation canals, and rubble from Cu-oxide lixiviation piles) during early phases of site rehabilitation. Results showed that, even though an interesting range of waste-type materials were tested, biosolids (100£¿t£¿ha£¿1 dry weight, d.w.) and grape residues (200£¿t£¿ha£¿1 d.w.), either alone or mixed, were the most suitable organic amendments when incorporated into tailings to a depth of 20£¿cm. Incorporation of both rubble from Cu-oxide lixiviation piles and goat manure into upper tailings also had effective results. All these treatments improved chemical and microbiological properties of tailings and lead to a significant increase in plant yield after three years from trial establishment. Longer-term evaluations are, however required to evaluate self sustainability of created systems without further incorporation of amendments. 1. Introduction Copper mining operations may adversely affect the environment due to deposition of large volumes of a number of hard-rock waste materials in nearby areas, such as sterile rocks, smelter slags, smelter dust, and tailings, among others. When sulfide copper ores are concentrated by flotation, approximately 80% of total wastes are tailings, which still contain a concentration of metals (i.e., Cu, Zn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Cd) and metalloids (i.e., As) that may pose environmental risks after inadequate deposition and management [1¨C6]. Currently, tailings are deposited in artificial dumps, or tailings storage facilities (TSFs), where fine solid particles (tailing sands) are separated from water by gravity [7]. Abandonment of postoperative TSFs under semiarid Mediterranean climatic conditions, such as in north-central Chile, led to complete water evaporation from upper tailings [7]. Without proper closure management, this fine, homogenous, and noncohesive material is left exposed to physical and chemical environmental forces [1, 8], causing erosion by wind. Deposition of metal/metalloid-rich tailings into nearby soils and surface waters may pose risks to human health, agricultural activities, and
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aess/2012/895817/