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Umeobi EC, Azuka CV, Ofem KI, Obite SU, Ezea CA, Abraham II, Alungbe ME, Akubue JC, John K, Ezeaku PI. Evaluation of soil pollution effects on maize (Zea mays) at selected Pb-Zn and limestone mine sites in Ebonyi State, Southeastern Nigeria. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:768. [PMID: 39080074 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12868-9] [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: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
This research examined soil contamination and the uptake of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) by maize plants in mining communities. We collected 192 soil samples and 40 maize plant samples from two mining areas and a pristine site. We analyzed the physical properties and element content of the soil, including phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, Fe, Zn, Co, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni. We also measured the elemental concentrations in the maize plants. The study found higher levels of Zn, Cu, and Pb at the mining sites compared to the control areas. The pollution factor (CF) indicated pollution with Cu > Pb > and > Zn at both mine sites. The pollution index (PLI) showed no pollution in the Nkalagu mine and control sites, but heavy and moderate pollution at the Ameka mine and control sites, respectively. The Ameka mine site was enriched with Zn. The bioaccumulation coefficient (BAC) was < 1 except for Zn at the Nkalagu mine and control site. The transfer factor for Fe and Zn from root to shoot was > 1. Pb was > 1 in all study areas except the Ameka mining areas. The results suggest remediation is needed for the two mine sites, especially at Ameka.
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Affiliation(s)
- Egondu Charles Umeobi
- Department of Soil Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA.
| | | | - Kokei Ikpi Ofem
- Department of Soil Science, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria
| | - Samuel Uchechukwu Obite
- Department of Soil Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria
| | | | | | | | | | - Kingsley John
- Department of Plant, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, B2N 5E3, Canada
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Prieto-Fernández F, Lambert S, Kujala K. Assessment of microbial communities from cold mine environments and subsequent enrichment, isolation and characterization of putative antimony- or copper-metabolizing microorganisms. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1386120. [PMID: 38855773 PMCID: PMC11160943 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1386120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Mining activities, even in arctic regions, create waste materials releasing metals and metalloids, which have an impact on the microorganisms inhabiting their surroundings. Some species can persist in these areas through tolerance to meta(loid)s via, e.g., metabolic transformations. Due to the interaction between microorganisms and meta(loid)s, interest in the investigation of microbial communities and their possible applications (like bioremediation or biomining) has increased. The main goal of the present study was to identify, isolate, and characterize microorganisms, from subarctic mine sites, tolerant to the metalloid antimony (Sb) and the metal copper (Cu). During both summer and winter, samples were collected from Finnish mine sites (site A and B, tailings, and site C, a water-treatment peatland) and environmental parameters were assessed. Microorganisms tolerant to Sb and Cu were successfully enriched under low temperatures (4°C), creating conditions that promoted the growth of aerobic and fermenting metal(loid) tolerating or anaerobic metal(loid) respiring organism. Microbial communities from the environment and Sb/Cu-enriched microorganisms were studied via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Site C had the highest number of taxa and for all sites, an expected loss of biodiversity occurred when enriching the samples, with genera like Prauserella, Pseudomonas or Clostridium increasing their relative abundances and others like Corynebacterium or Kocuria reducing in relative abundance. From enrichments, 65 putative Sb- and Cu-metabolizing microorganisms were isolated, showing growth at 0.1 mM to 10 mM concentrations and 0°C to 40°C temperatures. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the isolates indicated that most of the putative anaerobically Sb-respiring tolerators were related to the genus Clostridium. This study represents the first isolation, to our knowledge, of putative Sb-metabolizing cold-tolerant microorganisms and contributes to the understanding of metal (loid)-tolerant microbial communities in Arctic mine sites.
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Kumar S, Chakraborty S, Ghosh S, Banerjee S, Mondal G, Roy PK, Bhattacharyya P. Revealing soil microbial ecophysiological indicators in acidic environments laden with heavy metals via predictive modeling: Understanding the impacts of black diamond excavation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 923:171454. [PMID: 38438038 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171454] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Appraising the activity of soil microbial community in relation to soil acidity and heavy metal (HM) content can help evaluate it's quality and health. Coal mining has been reported to mobilize locked HM in soil and induce acid mine drainage. In this study, agricultural soils around coal mining areas were studied and compared to baseline soils in order to comprehend the former's effect in downgrading soil quality. Acidity as well as HM fractions were significantly higher in the two contaminated zones as compared to baseline soils (p < 0.01). Moreover, self-organizing and geostatistical maps show a similar pattern of localization in metal availability and soil acidity thereby indicating a causal relationship. Sobol sensitivity, cluster, and principal component analyses were employed to enunciate the relationship between the various metal and acidity fractions with that of soil microbial properties. The results indicate a significant negative impact of metal bioavailability, and acidity on soil microbial activity. Lastly, Taylor diagrams were employed to predict soil microbial quality and health based on soil physicochemical inputs. The efficiency of several machine learning algorithms was tested to identify Random Forrest as the best model for prediction. Thus, the study imparts knowledge about soil pollution parameters, and acidity status thereby projecting soil quality which can be a pioneer in sustainable agricultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Kumar
- Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand 815301, India; School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal 700032, India
| | - Shreya Chakraborty
- Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand 815301, India
| | - Saibal Ghosh
- Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand 815301, India
| | - Sonali Banerjee
- Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand 815301, India
| | - Gourav Mondal
- Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand 815301, India
| | - Pankaj Kumar Roy
- School of Water Resource Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal 700032, India
| | - Pradip Bhattacharyya
- Agricultural and Ecological Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Giridih, Jharkhand 815301, India.
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Bharat AP, Singh AK, Mahato MK. Heavy metal geochemistry and toxicity assessment of water environment from Ib valley coalfield, India: Implications to contaminant source apportionment and human health risks. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 352:141452. [PMID: 38354867 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141452] [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: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the hydrogeochemical evolution of heavy metals and assesses impacts of mining activities on the groundwater resources and potential human health risks in the coal mining areas of Ib valley coalfield. In this perspective, a total of one hundred and two mine water and groundwater samples were collected from different locations. The water samples were analysed for some selected heavy metals i.e. Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, As, Se, Al, Sr, Ba, Cd, Cr, V and Fe using ICP-MS. In addition, pH and SO42- concentration were also measured following APHA procedure. The water pH in the Ib valley coalfields ranged from 3.26 to 8.18 for mine water and 5.23 to 8.52 for groundwater, indicating acidic to alkaline nature of water. Mn in mine water and Zn in groundwater environment were observed as the most dominant metals. The water hazard index (WHI) reflects that around 80% of mine water are non-toxic (WHI<5), 5% slightly toxic (510) and 15% extremely toxic (WHI>15). Relatively high pH and low concentration of dissolved metals and SO42- in groundwater as compared to mine water indicate lesser impact of mining activities. The calculated drinking water quality index (DWQI) suggests that Mn, Al, Ni and Fe in mine water and Mn, Fe, Ni and Pb in groundwater were the major objectionable metals which caused the water quality deterioration for drinking uses. Further, the non-carcinogenic health risk assessment for adult male, female and child populations identifies Co, Mn, Ni as the key elements making the water hazardous for human health. Comparatively higher ratio of ingestion rate and body weight in child population might be causing higher health risks in child population as compared to adult male and adult female population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Pandey Bharat
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India; CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad 826001, Jharkhand, India.
| | - Abhay Kumar Singh
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, Uttar Pradesh, India; CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad 826001, Jharkhand, India
| | - Mukesh Kumar Mahato
- Department of Environmental Studies, Lakshmibai College, University of Delhi, India
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Cacciuttolo C, Guzmán V, Catriñir P, Atencio E, Komarizadehasl S, Lozano-Galant JA. Low-Cost Sensors Technologies for Monitoring Sustainability and Safety Issues in Mining Activities: Advances, Gaps, and Future Directions in the Digitalization for Smart Mining. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:6846. [PMID: 37571628 PMCID: PMC10422650 DOI: 10.3390/s23156846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays, monitoring aspects related to sustainability and safety in mining activities worldwide are a priority, to mitigate socio-environmental impacts, promote efficient use of water, reduce carbon footprint, use renewable energies, reduce mine waste, and minimize the risks of accidents and fatalities. In this context, the implementation of sensor technologies is an attractive alternative for the mining industry in the current digitalization context. To have a digital mine, sensors are essential and form the basis of Industry 4.0, and to allow a more accelerated, reliable, and massive digital transformation, low-cost sensor technology solutions may help to achieve these goals. This article focuses on studying the state of the art of implementing low-cost sensor technologies to monitor sustainability and safety aspects in mining activities, through the review of scientific literature. The methodology applied in this article was carried out by means of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and generating science mapping. For this, a methodological procedure of three steps was implemented: (i) Bibliometric analysis as a quantitative method, (ii) Systematic review of literature as a qualitative method, and (iii) Mixed review as a method to integrate the findings found in (i) and (ii). Finally, according to the results obtained, the main advances, gaps, and future directions in the implementation of low-cost sensor technologies for use in smart mining are exposed. Digital transformation aspects for data measurement with low-cost sensors by real-time monitoring, use of wireless network systems, artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins, and the Internet of Things, among other technologies of the Industry 4.0 era are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Cacciuttolo
- Civil Works and Geology Department, Catholic University of Temuco, Temuco 4780000, Chile; (V.G.); (P.C.)
- Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Camilo Jose Cela s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; (E.A.); (J.A.L.-G.)
| | - Valentina Guzmán
- Civil Works and Geology Department, Catholic University of Temuco, Temuco 4780000, Chile; (V.G.); (P.C.)
| | - Patricio Catriñir
- Civil Works and Geology Department, Catholic University of Temuco, Temuco 4780000, Chile; (V.G.); (P.C.)
| | - Edison Atencio
- Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Camilo Jose Cela s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; (E.A.); (J.A.L.-G.)
- School of Civil Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Av. Brasil 2147, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile
| | - Seyedmilad Komarizadehasl
- Department of Civil and Environment Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, BarcelonaTech, C/Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Jose Antonio Lozano-Galant
- Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Av. Camilo Jose Cela s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; (E.A.); (J.A.L.-G.)
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