Abstract
In Brazil, the first step of nuclear fuel cycle - the mining and milling of the uranium ore - is developed at the Uranium Mining and Milling Facilities of Pocos de Caldas, Minas Gerais state. The wastes management is a very important aspect of the process. The understanding of the geochemical processes that occur in the tailings dam is a key question to define a plan of action concerning the decommissioning strategy of the facility. The objective of the present work was to give some issues to help in the adoption of the remedial actions concerning the decommissioning of the facility. It focused on the characterization of the most important geochemical processes regulating the mobilization of radionuclides and heavy metals in the tailings dam. Two cores from the tailings dam (uncovered area) were collected. Seepage and drainage waters were sampled, the same being true for the tailings dam lake. Groundwater form an aquifer bellow the tailings dam and superficial waters from a river that receives the effluents of the dam (Soberbo River) were also sampled. Data from the mining company were used to calculate the inventory of radionuclides and heavy metals deposited in the waste dam.The obtained results showed that
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Citation Formats
Pinto, Patricia Freitas.
Characterization of the geochemical processes present in the radionuclides and metals mobilization in the tailing dam at the Uranium Mining and Milling Facilities - Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil; Caracterizacao dos processos geoquimicos atuantes na mobilizacao de radionuclideos e metais na bacia de rejeitos do complexo minero-industrial de Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil.
Brazil: N. p.,
1995.
Web.
Pinto, Patricia Freitas.
Characterization of the geochemical processes present in the radionuclides and metals mobilization in the tailing dam at the Uranium Mining and Milling Facilities - Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil; Caracterizacao dos processos geoquimicos atuantes na mobilizacao de radionuclideos e metais na bacia de rejeitos do complexo minero-industrial de Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil.
Brazil.
Pinto, Patricia Freitas.
1995.
"Characterization of the geochemical processes present in the radionuclides and metals mobilization in the tailing dam at the Uranium Mining and Milling Facilities - Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil; Caracterizacao dos processos geoquimicos atuantes na mobilizacao de radionuclideos e metais na bacia de rejeitos do complexo minero-industrial de Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil."
Brazil.
@misc{etde_20143507,
title = {Characterization of the geochemical processes present in the radionuclides and metals mobilization in the tailing dam at the Uranium Mining and Milling Facilities - Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil; Caracterizacao dos processos geoquimicos atuantes na mobilizacao de radionuclideos e metais na bacia de rejeitos do complexo minero-industrial de Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil}
author = {Pinto, Patricia Freitas}
abstractNote = {In Brazil, the first step of nuclear fuel cycle - the mining and milling of the uranium ore - is developed at the Uranium Mining and Milling Facilities of Pocos de Caldas, Minas Gerais state. The wastes management is a very important aspect of the process. The understanding of the geochemical processes that occur in the tailings dam is a key question to define a plan of action concerning the decommissioning strategy of the facility. The objective of the present work was to give some issues to help in the adoption of the remedial actions concerning the decommissioning of the facility. It focused on the characterization of the most important geochemical processes regulating the mobilization of radionuclides and heavy metals in the tailings dam. Two cores from the tailings dam (uncovered area) were collected. Seepage and drainage waters were sampled, the same being true for the tailings dam lake. Groundwater form an aquifer bellow the tailings dam and superficial waters from a river that receives the effluents of the dam (Soberbo River) were also sampled. Data from the mining company were used to calculate the inventory of radionuclides and heavy metals deposited in the waste dam.The obtained results showed that pyrite oxidation is the key process in the mobilization of radionuclides and heavy metals from the wastes. Pyrite oxidation is a process regulated by oxygen diffusion and water. In the studied scenario it could be shown that the process was limited to a one meter deep layer in the uncovered part of the waste dam. Because of this, Fe, Al, Mn, Zn, Th and {sup 238} U showed higher concentrations in the bottom layers of the cores in relation to the upper ones. {sup 226} Ra and {sup 210} Pb showed opposite patterns. The coprecipitation with Ca SO{sub 4} was the most relevant mechanism in both radionuclides immobilization in the wastes. Sulfate was the only chemical species that could be assigned as a contaminant in aquifer bellow the waste dam. As a conclusion, the target environmental compartment in respect to radionuclide and heavy metal pollution, caused by effluent releases from the tailings dam, will be superficial water from Soberbo River. Pyrite oxidation is the diving force in metal and radionuclide mobilization. therefore, any mitigating action concerning the permanent stabilization of the tailings in the dam should be directed toward the limitation of oxy gem diffusion in the wastes. Strategies that could be considered to reduce the overall oxidation rate should include soil cover, water cover, isolation and vegetation of wastes. The adopting of any of these strategies should only be done after a cost X benefit analysis. (author)}
place = {Brazil}
year = {1995}
month = {Aug}
}
title = {Characterization of the geochemical processes present in the radionuclides and metals mobilization in the tailing dam at the Uranium Mining and Milling Facilities - Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil; Caracterizacao dos processos geoquimicos atuantes na mobilizacao de radionuclideos e metais na bacia de rejeitos do complexo minero-industrial de Pocos de Caldas, MG, Brazil}
author = {Pinto, Patricia Freitas}
abstractNote = {In Brazil, the first step of nuclear fuel cycle - the mining and milling of the uranium ore - is developed at the Uranium Mining and Milling Facilities of Pocos de Caldas, Minas Gerais state. The wastes management is a very important aspect of the process. The understanding of the geochemical processes that occur in the tailings dam is a key question to define a plan of action concerning the decommissioning strategy of the facility. The objective of the present work was to give some issues to help in the adoption of the remedial actions concerning the decommissioning of the facility. It focused on the characterization of the most important geochemical processes regulating the mobilization of radionuclides and heavy metals in the tailings dam. Two cores from the tailings dam (uncovered area) were collected. Seepage and drainage waters were sampled, the same being true for the tailings dam lake. Groundwater form an aquifer bellow the tailings dam and superficial waters from a river that receives the effluents of the dam (Soberbo River) were also sampled. Data from the mining company were used to calculate the inventory of radionuclides and heavy metals deposited in the waste dam.The obtained results showed that pyrite oxidation is the key process in the mobilization of radionuclides and heavy metals from the wastes. Pyrite oxidation is a process regulated by oxygen diffusion and water. In the studied scenario it could be shown that the process was limited to a one meter deep layer in the uncovered part of the waste dam. Because of this, Fe, Al, Mn, Zn, Th and {sup 238} U showed higher concentrations in the bottom layers of the cores in relation to the upper ones. {sup 226} Ra and {sup 210} Pb showed opposite patterns. The coprecipitation with Ca SO{sub 4} was the most relevant mechanism in both radionuclides immobilization in the wastes. Sulfate was the only chemical species that could be assigned as a contaminant in aquifer bellow the waste dam. As a conclusion, the target environmental compartment in respect to radionuclide and heavy metal pollution, caused by effluent releases from the tailings dam, will be superficial water from Soberbo River. Pyrite oxidation is the diving force in metal and radionuclide mobilization. therefore, any mitigating action concerning the permanent stabilization of the tailings in the dam should be directed toward the limitation of oxy gem diffusion in the wastes. Strategies that could be considered to reduce the overall oxidation rate should include soil cover, water cover, isolation and vegetation of wastes. The adopting of any of these strategies should only be done after a cost X benefit analysis. (author)}
place = {Brazil}
year = {1995}
month = {Aug}
}