Ecological problems of territories suffering from negative impact of mining industry

Ecological problems of territories suffering from negative impact of mining industry

Our planet is home to millions of different kinds of plant and animal species, which are linked in different ways. Together, they make up the complex world of nature. Unfortunately, co-habiting with humans brings up ecological problems. The most acute are pollution, acid rain, wildlife destruction, shortage of natural resources and global warming. These problems are interrelated as everything in the natural world depends on one another.

Bashkortostan is a marvelous land. The Republic of Bashkortostan is a place on the planet unique for its beauty and riches. Located at the junction of Europe and Asia, where the East European Plains meet the Ural Mountains and thereafter continue into the West Siberian Plain. There are a lot of mineral deposits in our republic because of geographical position. So mining, petrochemical and chemical industries are widely spread in our Republic and as a result our region suffer from bad ecological situation.

The theme of my research work is “Ecological problems of territories suffering from negative impact of mining industry”.

The aim is to analyze the rate of negative impact on environment and human.

The chosen theme is especially actually for our region, because the main industry of Khaibullinsky region is mining.

Petrochemical and chemical industries are widely spread throughout the republic of Bashkortostan.

Well known petrochemical and chemical enterprises are situated in Ufa, Sterlitamak, Oktyabrsky, Beloretsk. Uchaly, Sibay and Khaibullinsky region are famous for metal mining industry. Such companies like: Bashkir gold-mining company, Uchaly ore-dressing and processing enterprise, Mindyak ore-dressing and processing enterprise, Sibay branch of Uchaly ODPE, Semenovskoe gold-mining factory, Ekaterinburg industry group, Bashmed’ (Bashcopper) and Buribay ODPE are situated in Soth Ural and Trans-Ural.

The work process of mining industry consists of the following stages:

• Ore extracting

• Ore and finished products transportation

• Ore reduction

• Ore dressing

• Wastes disposal

• 

And each of these stages gives a negative impact on Environment and of course on human. Ecological problems of metal mining districts are as follows:

• Pollution of natural waters (surface and subsurface) in the area where there are waste and tailing dumps, technical ponds and other hydraulic facilities not keeping contemporary ecological requirements which were built in the middle of last century.

We can easily find nearly all chemical elements in tail dumps, technical ponds. Let’s compare the content of tail water of Public corporation Uchaly ODPE and close corporation Buribay ODPE.

As you see from the table tail water of Uchaly ODPE contains more pH and Zn (zink) but Buribay ODPE contains more Fe (iron), Mn (magnum), Cu (copper) and SO₄^2- (sulpher). So the conclusion is as follows tail water of Buribay ODPE is more polluted.

• Pollution of air when dust rises in opencast mines, waste dumps and drained beaches of tailing dumps.

• Hyperconcentration of priority at mines (high-density metals and sulphates) in depositing natural environment (water reservoirs and courses bottom deposition in soil and vegetation.

Another great problem of mining industry is mercury diffuse halo in soil and bottom depositions. Mercury is one of the piousness metal in the world and it’s vapor lethal to plants, animals and human.

Here is the example of mercury diffuse halo in soil and bottom depositions Uchaly district.

1. (one) – places of soil sampling;

2. (two) – places of bottom deposits sampling;

3. (three) – mercury abnormality in root fruits;

4. (four) – gross mercury content in soil

5. (five) – gross mercury content in soil 0,05-0,25 mgr/kg (0,02 – 0,1 MCL);

1. (six) – gross mercury content in soil 0,25-0,5 mgr/kg (0,1 – 0,2 MCL);

2. (seven) – gross mercury content in soil 0,5 – 0,3 mgr/kg (0,2 – 1 MCL).

Gold mining is one of important industries in Russia but it gives large ecological damage to environment.

Ecological dangers of gold-mining technology are:

• Use of high-toxic reactants (cyanides, chlorine, hypochlorides);

• Formation of high-density metals’ water-soluble complexes;

• Dispersion in environment gold-bearing ore’s toxic additives-mercury and arsenic;

• Dangerous secondary processes

Another example of mercury pollution in Semenovskoe gold-excavation factory. As you see:

• drinking water contain 2-20 MCL

• Farmland 6-42 higher than background

• Ambient air 2-2,5 higher than background

• Industry area soil 75, 3 – 838500 higher than background

So you see that ecological situation near Semenovskoe gold-excavation factory extremely bad. It is coursed because of the way gold excavation by heap leaching.

Look at the scheme. You can see heap leaching process scheme.

And as you know there is almost no inhabitants in village Semenovskoe.

Recently the State Analytical Control Department of the Nature Management and Ecology Ministry of Bashkortostan monitored toxic pollutants from industry emitters in Sterlitamak. The following pollutants can be found in air in Sterlitamak dichloroethane ethylene chloroform, hydrogen sulfide ammonia carbon oxide, methanol dimethylamine. The composition of air in Sterlitamak consists of the following elements

As you see from my research work the ecological situation in our Republic is extremely bad and we need a series of programmes to protect and to improve the environment. Or else we can loose our planet.

Thank for attention!!!

Good bye!!!!