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Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1007/s102300300001
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Title (Primary) The weathering behavior of heavy metals in ore processing residues (Mansfeld Region, Germany)
Author Schubert, M.; Morgenstern, P.; Wennrich, R.; Freyer, K.; Weiß, H. ORCID logo
Source Titel Mine Water and the Environment
Year 2003
Department ANA; GWS; SANA; PB IBFL
Volume 22
Issue 1
Page From 2
Page To 6
Language englisch
Abstract One of the ore processing residues in the Mansfeld region of Germany is a flue dust, which was scrubbed out of the smelter process gases by spraying water into the hot gas stream. During the many years of ore processing, the resulting fine-grained sludge was washed into ponds for storage. These sludge deposits were covered by water and thus sealed off from the atmosphere. However, after the local copper works shut down in 1990, the ponds dried up, causing the sludge in the uppermost layers to oxidize. The need to assess the risk posed by these deposits today prompted questions over the depth to which the dried sludge can be altered by weathering and the extent of heavy metal emissions. A drill hole was bored at the center of a dry pond and the core samples analyzed. The samples indicated relatively constant levels of Cu and Pb with depth, but other metals, such as Cd, Mn, and Zn, were relatively depleted in the upper 50 cm of the sludge body. Such behavior can be explained by the solubilities of the respective secondary phases. It appears that the oxidation of metal sulfides and the subsequent dissolution of the respective secondary phases, especially sulfates, pose a potential problem for the quality of the nearby ground and surface water.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=5193
Schubert, M., Morgenstern, P., Wennrich, R., Freyer, K., Weiß, H. (2003):
The weathering behavior of heavy metals in ore processing residues (Mansfeld Region, Germany)
Mine Water Environ. 22 (1), 2 - 6 10.1007/s102300300001