2016 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering (SEEE 2016)
ISBN: 978-1-60595-408-0
Method of Reclamation of the Tailing Dump Surface Containing Toxic
Wastes Using Phototrophic Bacteria
Ludmila KRUPSKAYA1,2, Valentina ZVEREVA1,3,4, Olga KIRIENKO5,
Dmitry GOLUBEV1,2, Alyona KOSTINA1,3,4,* and Maria FILATOVA1
1
Pacific National University, 136, Tikhookeanskaya str., Khabarovsk, 680035, Russian Federation
2
Far East Scientific-Research Institute of Forestry, 71, Volochaevskaya str.,
Khabarovsk, 680020, Russian Federation
3
Far Eastern Federal University, 8, Sukhanova str., Vladivostok, 690091, Russian Federation
4
Far East Geological Institute, FEB of RAS, 159, Prospekt 100-letiya Vladivostoka,
Vladivostok, 690022, Russian Federation
5
Institute of Water Ecological Problems, FEB of RAS, 65, Kim Yu Chen str., Khabarovsk, 680000,
Russian Federation
*Corresponding author
Keywords: Tailing dump, Toxic wastes, Tin-ore raw material, Biological potential, Reclamation.
Abstract. The application of complex of physicochemical and biological methods shows that the
ecological situation is unsatisfactory and critical within the boundaries of influence of the mining
technogenic systems of the study area. As a result it was necessary to develop ways of reducing the
negative effects of toxic wastes on ecosphere objects due to mineral processing stockpiled in tailing
dumps. In the article the results of long-term research on the problem of development of a method of
reclamation of the tailing dump surface which contains toxic wastes from the tin-ore raw material
processing, using the biological potential of living organisms (bioremediation) is presented. This way
the productivity of cultural phytocenosis is increased and the sanitary and environmental qualities of
the substrate simultaneously improved (toxic wastes from processing tin ore) due to changes in
phototrophic bacteria (PB) formulas in the right direction. The method proposed provides a successful
solution to the problem of reducing the negative effect of toxic wastes, and improving the efficiency
of remediation using PB. A beneficial effect of PB on the formation of the soil structure was
identified, as well as the plants growth (legume-grass mixtures and larch). The novelty of the method
proposed is acknowledged by the Patent of the Russian Federation [1].
Introduction
The main task of the Russian Federation national ecological policy for the period till 2030 is the
restoration of the natural ecological systems interrupted by mining enterprises in the past century. The
solution to this task will provide an improvement of the environment and ecological conditions of
human life and make it possible to fix the environmental damage caused by past anthropogenic
activity of the XX century. The development of tin deposits leads to the contamination and
destruction of the ecosystems through the significant amount of effluent of toxic chemicals into the
environment. that The open mining works are known to result in the alienation of the lands for tailing
dumps and overburdened rocks; quarries are formed, landfalls and landslides take place, the
soil-vegetation cover is destroyed, marshlands are dried up, and so on. Ground water lowering which
has a negative impact on the vegetation of the surrounding areas occurs.
At present, research on the rehabilitation and reclamation of the forest lands, interrupted by mining
works and contaminated with heavy metals and on their protection from water and wind erosion is
most urgent, especially in the Far Eastern Federal District (Russian Federation). The
mining-industrial toxic wastes accumulated in a great amount and stored in the tailing dumps are the
sources of a technogenic contamination of the ecosphere. In the Far Eastern Federal District these
technogenic objects are hardly preserved and not reclaimed. In recent years their negative effect has
reached alarming proportions. The secondary scattering aureole of chemical elements is formed
around the deposit developed, migrating into soils, plants, and other living organisms [2-4].
In this connection, the aim of our investigation was to propose a way to decrease the negative
impact of toxic wastes from the processing of mineral raw materials, stored in the tailing dump on the
ecosphere objects and to increase the efficiency of its surface reclamation using bioremediation, and
as a result to provide ecological safety. According to our aim we have defined the following goals:
1. to analyze, generalize, and systematize the literature sources on this problem; 2. to evaluate the
influence of the processing of tin-ore raw material wastes on the environment objects and on the
health state of the mine settlement population; 3. to work out the arrangements providing the
ecologically stable development of technogenic systems.
Objects and Methods of Investigation
The objects were the mining-industrial technogenic systems. The methodological base was the
doctrine of Academician Vernadsky [2] “About biosphere and noosphere” as well as the fundamental
principles stated in “Program and methods of the study of technogenic biogeocoenoses” by
Kolesnikov and Motorina [3]. The experimental investigations were carried out with the methods of
planning of a scientific experiment. The up-to-date instrumental and traditional physicochemical,
chemical, and biological methods, methods of bioindication as well as methods of generalization and
systematization were used. Soils were sampled according to GOST (All Union State standard)
17.4.3.01-83 “Nature preservation. Soils. General requirements for sampling” and GOST
17.4.4.021-84 “Nature preservation. Soils. Methods of sampling and preparation of samples for
chemical, bacteriological, and helminthological analysis”.
The water sampling was carried out according to the requirements of GOST 17.1.5.05-85 “Nature
preservation. Hydrosphere. General requirements to sampling of surface and sea water, ice, and
precipitation” and GOST P 515921-21000 “Water. General requirements for sampling”. The water
analysis was carried out with the attested methods of determination of the component concentrations
with the aims of the state ecological control and included in the “State Register of the methods of
ecological control” in mind.
Sampling and analysis of air were carried out in accordance with RD 521.04.186-89 “Manual on
the control of atmospheric pollution”. The data obtained was processed using a computer with the
help of the packets of programs applied, the basis for which are standard methods of variance
statistics.
Results and Discussion
Analysis, generalization, and systematization of literature data and the materials of the search show
that different microscopic organisms, coloured red, orange, and purple and called the
photosynthesizing or phototrophic bacteria (PB) are widespread in nature [5]. Through the application
of PB ways of purification of the discharges of stock-rearing farms and food factories have been
developed, as well as of waters and soils contaminated with pesticides and other pollutants. However,
there is no information about the application of PB in reclamation of land interrupted by mining
works, including the surfaces of tailing dumps containing toxic wastes.
Experimental investigations [4] devoted to the study of the intraseasonal dynamics of the quantity
of different groups of microorganisms, participating in degradation of hydrocarbons (petroleum
products) with the use of anaerobic phototrophic bacteria, as well as the determination of the
biodegradation rate (on the example of diesel fuel) in different types of soils are known. By the end of
the experiment on soils contaminated with diesel fuel, the cells of phototrophic bacteria were found.
During the period of monitoring hydrocarbon concentration (%) in areas of forest soil it decreased
from 8.4±1.8 to 1.54±0.09 and in the peat-bog – from 7.0±1.1 to 1.3±0.05. Consequently, in both soil
kinds with diesel fuel the growth of the aerobic petroleum-oxidizing phototrophic bacteria was
observed after the experimental contamination.
However, Smorkalov and Kochubey [4] carried out experimental investigations only without
reference to the application of PB in reclamation of the lands interrupted. Later, Smorkalov [6, 7]
studied the influence of the photoheterotrophic bacteria crops on the efficiency of hydrocarbon
biodegradation in soil and application of them for stimulation of the aboriginal oil-oxidizing
microflora in the process of reclamation of earth contaminated with petroleum and petroleum
products. He found t that in the microbiocoenosis of ground contaminated with petroleum products
clear succession changes were observed: the overwhelming dominance of petroleum-oxidizing
bacteria => decrease of POB amount and development of petroleum-oxidizing fungi => appearance
of non-sulfur purple bacteria (PB). Smorkalov and Vorobeichick found that the photoheterotrophic
bacteria promote an increase in the rate of petroleum product biodegradation in both soil and ground.
This increase may take place at the cost direct aerobic oxidation of hydrocarbons with the proper
phototrophic bacteria (contamination < 5%) or due to their positive influence on the
hydrocarbon-oxidizing abilities of other microorganism groups. As a result of the laboratory
experiments it was found that the photoheterotrophic bacteria stimulate the activity of
petroleum-oxidizing fungi. The data obtained shows the possibility to use the crops of the non-sulfur
purple phototrophic bacteria in reclamation of oil-polluted lands.
This method makes it possible to decrease the negative effect of petroleum products on the
environment objects and to provide its effective protection from technogenic contamination.
The disadvantage is that this method is intended for reclamation of lands polluted with petroleum
products only but not the tailing dump surface with toxic wastes contaminated with heavy metals.
Considering wastes as a potential source of technogenic pollution of natural systems we took into
account their composition represented by the following minerals: cassiterite, arsenopyrite, galena,
pyrite, and others. The chemical composition included high concentrations of Sn, Zn, Pb, Cu, As, S,
Cd and others, which migrate along the chain: wastes → air basin → snow cover → soils → biota →
man and lead to their intensive technogenic contamination and generation of the ecologically caused
deceases of the inhabitants of mine settlements [6, 8-11].
Using complex physicochemical and biological methods we have found that within the area
influenced by the mining-industrial technogenic systems of the study district the ecological situation
is estimated as unsatisfactory and critical. So it has become necessary to develop a way to decrease the
negative effect of toxic wastes by processing the mineral raw material, stored in the tailing dump, on
the ecosphere objects, to protect them from technogenic pollution and to increase the efficiency of the
dump surface reclamation.
The goal was achieved with the method of the land reclamation, which includes the working of the
tailing dump surface under reclamation with a bioactivator (biological agent), sowing of the
leguminous-cereal grass-mixture, planting of saplings of larches and sea-buckthorn, contouring of the
tailing dump along the perimeter with water-permeable borders and drainage ditches, and creation of a
forest shelterbelt around the technogenic object. As the bioactivator we used the phototrophic bacteria.
The solution to the task provided a new technical result that involves the highly efficient activity of
the bioactivator (PB) and is realized with the interaction of PB with the substratum (toxic wastes).
The phototrophic bacteria improve the hydro-physical qualities of the substratum. They don’t have
the ability to feed organotrophically and so release exstracellularly various vitamins, nucleotides,
amino acids, and ATP. Thus they draw on other microorganisms receiving the low-molecular organic
compounds necessary for their feeding. That is one of the specific features and advantages of the PB
in the liquidation of toxic compounds deleterious to organisms.
Loosening of the tailing dump surface with a disk harrow, onto which the PB are later applied,
improves the conditions of striking and survival of the plants. The forest shelterbelt along the
perimeter of the tailing dump provides protection of the habitat from the action of dust blown with
wind from the tailing dump surface.
The essence of the method proposed is explained by the figures:
Figure 1 shows the control sample (the waste from the tin-ore material processing). The
leguminous-cereal grass-mixture and seeds of larch (or saplings) were sowed. PB was not applied.
Figure 2 shows the version of the experiment performed in the green-house with application of the
PB to the containers, into which the toxic wastes were placed. The leguminous-cereal grass-mixture
and larch seeds were sown in them.
Figure 3 shows the version with the PB applied to the surface of the tailing dump with toxic wastes
under industrial conditions. The leguminous-cereal grass-mixture and larch seeds were sowed.
Figure 1. The control (wastes of the tin-ore raw material processing).
Figure 2. Results of the experiment in the green-house.
Figure 3. Results of the experiment under industrial conditions (the sowing was carried out on the surface of the tailing
dump of the former mining plant in Primorsky Krai, Russian Federation).
The way we have completed the work includes the following operations: loosening to a depth of
5-10 cm with a disk harrow of the tailing dump surface containing toxic wastes under reclamation,
then the leguminous-cereal grass-mixture and larch are sown, and then the watering with the PB is
carried out in amounts of 1.5 l per 1 m2 of the area under reclamation. The optimum dose was
experimentally selected from the sanitary-ecological properties of the substratum and the
achievement of the highest productivity of the phytocoenosis produced on the tailing dump surface.
For this purpose we carried out the experiment in the green-house by applying the phototrophic
bacteria to the surfaces of the containers with toxic wastes sampled earlier from the tailing dump. The
leguminous-cereal grass-mixture (clover, fescue) and larch and sea-buckthorn were sown. The
experiment was repeated eleven times.
The best results (with respect to biomass) were obtained in the experiment with PB applied (the
crop capacity was 238 centners/ha). The experimental data shows that in the experiment with PB
applied there is a sufficient amount of energetic matter in the form of organic matter and nutrient
substances due to the activity of the phototrophic bacteria. This concludes the biological processing of
the study substratum. In this process the heavy metals are bound with the carbon of the organic matter
and the main quantity of the heavy metals is immobilized to safe levels. In the variants without PB
applied (control) seedlings didn’t appear.
The efficiency of this way is illustrated by the examples below. The experiment was carried out in
the green-house under industrial conditions (on the surface of the tailing dump of the former mining
plant in Primorsky Krai). The loosening of the substratum, containing toxic wastes was performed to
a depth of 5-10 cm. Then the leguminous-cereal grass-mixture, composed of meadow fescue and
white clover, was sown in the standard quantity of seed of 25 and 15 kg per hectare, corresponding to
98 % of the seed germination. In addition, the seeds of larch and sea-buckthorn were sown. Then the
crops were watered with PB. The harvest was calculated through the mowing down of the cereals in
the phase of the earring. The wastes of the mineral raw material processing, sampled from the tailing
dump containing toxic wastes were used for the control. The productivity of the leguminous-cereal
grass-mixture was 234 centners/ha. On the control (wastes) the seedlings didn’t appear, and mould
was found.
The method proposed is an effective one, because it makes possible to increase the productivity of
the cultured phytocoenosis and simultaneously to improve the sanitary-ecological properties of the
substratum (toxic wastes of the tin-ore material processing) due to changes needed in the directions of
the PB formulae.
The examples of realization of the way of reclamation of the tailing dump surface containing toxic
wastes with the use of the PB:
Example 1. The control—the PB was not used.
Example 2. The experiment in the greenhouse. The crops on the surface of toxic wastes sampled
from the tailing dump for the experiment in the green-house were watered with the PB solution in
amount of 1.5 l for 1 m2 of the area under reclamation. In this variant the plant state turned out to be
satisfactory. The productivity of the green mass here was 238 centners/ha.
Example 3. The experiment under industrial conditions (on the surface of the tailing dump of the
former mining plant in Primorsky Krai). The surface of the tailing dump was loosened with a disk
harrow to a depth of 5-10 cm, and then sowing and watering with PB were performed. The plant state
in this variant turned out to be satisfactory. The productivity of the green mass was 234 centners/ha.
Thus the method proposed provides a successful solution to the problem of decreasing the negative
action of toxic wastes of the tin-ore raw material processing on the environment objects and
increasing the efficiency of reclamation using PB. We have also established a favorable effect of PB
on the formation of the soil structure as well as the growth and development of the plants
(leguminous-cereal grass-mixture and larch). The novelty of the proposed way of reclamation is
approved by the Patent of the Russian Federation [1].
Conclusion
The experimental investigations carried out in the green-house and under industrial conditions made
it possible to develop a method of reclamation of the tailing dump surface containing toxic wastes
directed to decrease the negative action on the ecosphere objects and increase the reclamation
efficiency. The novelty of the method of reclamation proposed is approved by the Patent [1].
The task is solved using the method of land reclamation considered including the loosening to a
depth of 5-10 cm of the substratum (toxic wastes) surface under reclamation, sowing of the
leguminous-cereal grass-mixture, larch, and sea-buckthorn, treatment with the bioactivator
(biological agent), contouring of the tailing dump along the perimeter with the water-permeable
borders and drainage ditches, and the creation of a forest shelterbelt around the technogenic objects.
The phototrophic bacteria (PB) were used as a bioactivator, applying of which onto the tailing dump
surface, containing toxic wastes, was in amount of 1.5 l for 1 m2 of the area under reclamation.
Acknowledgement
The study was funded by the Russian Science Foundation (15-17-10016), Pacific National University
(2015-2017).
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