1
|
Bessa Santos RM, Farias do Valle Junior R, Abreu Pires de Melo Silva MM, Tarlé Pissarra TC, Carvalho de Melo M, Valera CA, Leal Pacheco FA, Sanches Fernandes LF. A framework model to integrate sources and pathways in the assessment of river water pollution. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 347:123661. [PMID: 38417605 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Metal and nutrient pollution, soil erosion, and alterations in climate and hydrology are prevalent issues that impact the water quality of riverine systems. However, integrated approaches to assess and isolate causes and paths of river water pollution are scarce, especially in the case of watersheds impacted by multiple hazardous activities. Therefore, a framework model for investigating the multiple sources of river water pollution was developed. The chosen study area was the Paraopeba River basin located in the Minas Gerais, Brazil. Besides multiple agriculture, industrial, and urban pollution sources, this region was profoundly affected by the rupture of the B1 tailings dam (in January 2019) at the Córrego do Feijão mine, resulting in the release of metal-rich waste. Considering this situation, thirty-nine physicochemical and hydromorphological parameters were examined in the Paraopeba River basin, in the 2019-2023 period. The analysis involved various statistical techniques, including bivariate and multivariate methods such as correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and clustering. The Paraopeba River was mainly impacted by metal contamination resulting from the dam collapse, whereas nutrient contamination, mainly from urban and industrial discharges, predominantly affected its tributaries. Additionally, the elevated concentrations of aluminum, iron, nitrate, and sulfate in both main river and tributaries can be attributed to diffuse and point source pollution. In terms of hydromorphology and soil type, the interaction between woody vegetation and erosion-resistant soils, especially latosols, contributes to the stability of riverbanks in the main river. Meanwhile, in the tributaries, the presence of neosols and sparse vegetation in urbanized areas promoted riverbank erosion potentially amplifying pollution. While the study was conducted in a particular watershed, the findings are based on a methodology that can be applied universally. Hence, the insights on surface water quality from this research can be a valuable resource for researchers studying watersheds with diverse pollution sources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Regina Maria Bessa Santos
- Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-Environment and Biological Sciences, CITAB, Inov4Agro, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; Chemistry Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal.
| | - Renato Farias do Valle Junior
- Instituto Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Campus Uberaba, Laboratório de Geoprossessamento, Uberaba, MG 38064-790, Brazil
| | | | - Teresa Cristina Tarlé Pissarra
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, s/n, Jaboticabal, SP 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Marília Carvalho de Melo
- Secretaria de Estado de Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Cidade Administrativa do Estado de Minas Gerais, Rodovia João Paulo II, 4143 Bairro Serra Verde, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Carlos Alberto Valera
- Coordenadoria Regional das Promotorias de Justiça do Meio Ambiente das Bacias dos Rios Paranaíba e Baixo Rio Grande, Rua Coronel Antônio Rios, 951, Uberaba, MG 38061-150, Brazil
| | - Fernando António Leal Pacheco
- Chemistry Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Luís Filipe Sanches Fernandes
- Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-Environment and Biological Sciences, CITAB, Inov4Agro, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Moreira VR, Moser PB, Guimarães RN, Xavier C, Fidelis C, Silva AFR, Grossi LB, Faria CV, Santos LVS, Amaral MCS. Integrating reverse osmosis to a conventional river water treatment plant as a strategy to produce drinking water after mining dam rupture events: a case study. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2024:1-12. [PMID: 38449387 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2024.2326799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Incidents of mining dam failure have compromised the water quality, threatening the water supply. Different strategies are sought to restore the impacted area and to guarantee the water supply. One example is water treatment plants that treat high-polluted waters within the required limits for their multiple usages. The current study assesses the integration of reverse osmosis (RO) to a river water treatment plant (RWTP) installed in Brumadinho (Minas Gerais, Brazil) to treat the water from the Ferro-Carvão stream impacted by the B1 dam rupture in 2019. The RWTP started eleven months after the mining dam rupture and is equipped with eight coagulation-flocculation tanks followed by eight pressurised filters. A pilot RO plant was installed to polish the water treated by the RWTP. Water samples were collected at different points of the water treatment plant and were characterised by their physical, chemical, and biological parameters (160 in total). The results were compared with the historical data (1997-2022) to reveal the alterations in the water quality after the rupture event. The compliance with both parameters was only achieved after the RO treatment, which acted as an additional barrier to 30 contaminants. The water quality indexes (WQI) suggested that the raw surface water, even eleven months after the incident, was unfit for consumption (WQI: 133.9) whereas the reverse osmosis permeate was ranked as excellent in the rating grid (WQI: 23.7).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victor Rezende Moreira
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Priscila B Moser
- Diretoria Especial de Reparação e Desenvolvimento, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Roberta N Guimarães
- Diretoria Especial de Reparação e Desenvolvimento, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Cecílio Xavier
- Diretoria Especial de Reparação e Desenvolvimento, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Carolina Fidelis
- Diretoria Especial de Reparação e Desenvolvimento, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Ana Flávia R Silva
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Luiza B Grossi
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Clara V Faria
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Lucilaine V S Santos
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Tecnologia de Produtos e Processos, Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica (CEFET - MG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Míriam C S Amaral
- Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
de Figueiredo Eufrasio Pauly G, Perina FC, Yamamoto FY, Kim BSM, Trevizani TH, Cruz ACF, Ribeiro CC, Menezes L, Figueira RCL, de Souza Abessa DM. Five years after the collapse of the Fundão Dam: lessons from temporal monitoring of chemistry and acute toxicity. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:247. [PMID: 38332213 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12405-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
In November 2015, the Fundão Dam break released millions of tons of metal-rich tailings into the Doce River Basin (DRB), causing catastrophic damage and potential ecological effects that reached the Atlantic Ocean. This study aimed to evaluate the geochemistry and toxicity of water and sediments collected in the DRB from 2015 to 2019 and to determine the spatial and temporal trends. Water and sediment samples were analyzed for metals and As by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and acute toxicity for Daphnia similis or D. magna. Results were explored using geochemical indices and correlation analyzes. Overall, higher concentrations of metals and As in water and sediments were observed immediately after dam breakage, but the levels exhibited a decreasing trend over time, although the levels of some elements such as As and Mn remained high in the upper DRB. The geochemical indices indicated mostly low to moderate contamination, and the enrichment factor (EF) demonstrated a higher enrichment of Mn in the upper DRB. Acute toxicity to water fleas (D. similis and D. magna) was occasionally observed in waters and sediments, but the reference samples were toxic, and the short-term effects were not correlated with metals and As. Overall, the results showed limited bioavailability of metals and As and a decreasing trend in their concentrations, indicating an ongoing recovery process in DRB. These results are important to decision-making regarding the disaster and actions for environmental restoration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Fernando Cesar Perina
- CESAM-Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Flávia Yoshie Yamamoto
- Instituto de Biociências, Campus do Litoral Paulista, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Vicente, SP, Brasil
| | - Bianca Sung Mi Kim
- Departamento de Oceanografia da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil
| | | | - Ana Carolina Feitosa Cruz
- Instituto de Biociências, Campus do Litoral Paulista, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Vicente, SP, Brasil
| | - Caio Cesar Ribeiro
- Instituto de Biociências, Campus do Litoral Paulista, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Vicente, SP, Brasil
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
de Figueiredo Eufrasio Pauly G, Cruz ACF, Trevizani TH, Mi Kim BS, Perina FC, Yamamoto FY, Figueira RCL, de Souza Abessa DM. Spatial-temporal variations of metals and arsenic in sediments from the Doce River after the Fundão Dam rupture and their bioaccumulation in Corbicula fluminea. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2024; 20:87-98. [PMID: 37026393 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The rupture of the Fundão dam in Brazil released tons of mining tailings into the Doce River Basin (DRB). This investigation aimed to determine the bioaccumulation of metals in soft tissues of the bivalve Corbicula fluminea exposed to sediments collected in the DRB in four periods (just after, 1, 3, and 3.5 years after the dam rupture). In the exposure bioassays, the concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in sediments and bivalve soft tissues were quantified. The concentration of some elements (As, Cd, Mn, and Al) in sediments exceeded the federal limits or regional backgrounds at some sampling sites, but their concentrations tended to decrease over time. However, higher concentrations of many elements were detected in the winter of 2019. Several elements were detected in C. fluminea soft tissues, but the bioaccumulation factors were generally low or not related to those elements associated with the ore tailings, evidencing that the bioavailability of metals to bivalves, in laboratory conditions, was limited. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:87-98. © 2023 SETAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana C F Cruz
- São Paulo State University-UNESP, São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tailisi H Trevizani
- Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo-USP, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bianca S Mi Kim
- Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo-USP, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernando C Perina
- São Paulo State University-UNESP, São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
- Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar-CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | - Rubens C L Figueira
- Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo-USP, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | |
Collapse
|