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Stabilization of Mine Tailings Using Fly Ash and Sewage Sludge Planted with Phalaris arundinacea L.

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Abstract

The impact of plants (Phalaris arundinacea L.) on the leakage of ammonium, cadmium, copper, nitrate, phosphate, and zinc from sulfidic mine tailings covered with wood fly ash and sewage sludge was investigated. Either ash or sludge was placed in contact with the tailings, and ash layers of either low or high compactness were used. It was revealed that an ash/sludge cover effectively decreased the metal leaching from the tailings regardless of the order in which the materials were applied. Plants decreased the amount of leachate and the concentrations of ammonium and phosphate. The presence of ash below the sludge decreased the plant uptake of copper and zinc and nitrate leakage. However, when the ash was added as a thin (1.5 cm) porous layer, roots and air reached the tailings and caused high metal leakage. The results support the use of a vegetated ash/sludge cover in the treatment of mine tailings, provided that the sealing layer is firm enough to prevent root penetration.

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Acknowledgments

These studies are included in a program supported by Boliden Mineral AB, Stockholm Vatten, The Swedish Water & Waste Water Association, and Värmeforsk. The authors are also most grateful to Anders Sjösten for help with analysis of N and C in the sewage sludge and to Prof. Lena Kautsky for valuable comments on the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Botany, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden

    Clara Neuschütz & Maria Greger

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  1. Clara Neuschütz
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  2. Maria Greger
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Correspondence to Clara Neuschütz.

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Neuschütz, C., Greger, M. Stabilization of Mine Tailings Using Fly Ash and Sewage Sludge Planted with Phalaris arundinacea L.. Water Air Soil Pollut 207, 357–367 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0142-5

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