Title
  
  
  
    
    
      Calidad ambiental de suelos y aguas de la Mina Fé: Situación inicial y alternativas de recuperación
    
    
  
  
    Other title
  
  
  
    
    
      Environmental quality of soils and waters in Fé Mine: Initial situation and remediation alternatives
    
    
  
  
    Date Issued
  
  
  
    
    
      15 March 2020
    
    
  
  
    Access level
  
  
    
      metadata only access
    
  
  
    Resource Type
  
  
    
      journal article
    
  
  
    Author(s)
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
    
      
          
	
  
 
      
    
      
          
	
  
 
      
    
      
          
	
  
 
      
    
  
    
  
	
  1Inproyen Consulting SL
  
    Publisher(s)
  
  
    
      
          
	
  Universia
  
    Abstract
  
  
  
   
    
    
      
    
 
    
 
  
  
        
        Mining activity leads to several environmental impacts. After the closure, the realization of a holistic evaluation of the main ecosystem components and their environmental risks is essential in order to define and manage a sustainable rehabilitation program specific to the current environmental situation. The objective of this work was to evaluate the chemical quality of the soils and runoff waters of the uranium mine, Fé mine (Saelices el Chico, Spain), in order to establish a diagnosis of the existing environmental problems and potential recovery actions to apply. Soils located within the mining area and natural soils from adjacent areas were sampled, classified according to the World Reference Base and analysed for their physico-chemical properties. Moreover, runoff water samples were collected for chemical and thermodynamic evaluation as well as, in the dry period, salt efflorescences from surface materials for chemical and mineralogical analysis. The natural soils (classified as Lithic, Haplic and Skeletic Leptosols, Leptic and Haplic Cambisols, Plinthic Acrisols, and Haplic and Gleyic Fluvisols) have low fertility (evaluated by concentration of nutrients and organic matter) and a strong erosive tendency which, together with the climatic conditions of the area, lead to a poor vegetation cover development. These soils are very incipient and are only located in areas where there is a permanent vegetation cover. Most of the mine soils are developed on different mixtures of host rock and sulfide-rich wastes, being classified as Sulfidic or Salic Spolic Technosols, depending on their specific properties and/or conditions. These mixtures of materials diminish the negative effect of the mine wastes, since the total concentrations of potentially toxic elements are similar (except for Pb) between mine and natural soils. However, these mine soils present a high environmental risk due to the generation of leachates with hyper-acid (pH ≈ 2.8), hyper-oxidant (Eh ≈ 759 mV) and hyper-conductor (EC ≈ 12.8 dS m-1) characteristics and with potentially high toxic elements (e.g. Al, Fe and Mn) and sulfates (22.9-33.9 g L-1). In the dry period, the ascension of the soil solution rich in elements contributes to the formation of evaporitic salts on the materials which were mainly identified as Al and Mg sulfates (epsomite and halotrichite). These solid phases are only temporary sinks of sulfate and metals, since they are re-dissolved with rain, releasing the elements to the environment. Moreover, the low fertility and cation exchange capacity, high acidity, stoniness and salinity of the mine soils limit the natural colonization and vegetative development. Considering the environmental risk and characteristics/conditions of the mine soils, the recovery process of the Fé mine should focus, mainly, on the sulfide oxidation minimization and fertility improvement in order to promote the establishment of a biodiverse plant cover as well as pedogenetic and biogeochemical processes.
      
    
  
    Start page
  
  
  
    
    
      81
    
    
  
  
    End page
  
  
  
    
    
      100
    
    
  
  
    Volume
  
  
  
    
    
      10
    
    
  
  
    Issue
  
  
  
    
    
      1
    
    
  
  
    Language
  
  
    
      Spanish
    
  
  
    OCDE Knowledge area
  
  
    
      Química orgánica
    
      Minería, Procesamiento de minerales
    
  
  
    Keyword(s)
  
   
      
  
 
    
  
    Scopus EID
  
  
  
    
    
      2-s2.0-85085627237
    
    
  
  
    Source
  
  
  
    
    
      Spanish Journal of Soil Science
    
    
  
  
    ISSN of the container
  
  
  
    
    
      22536574
    
    
  
            Sources of information: 
            
            
                     Scopus 4.03.2025
            
            
            
                     Scopus 4.03.2025