TY - JOUR
T1 - Submarine tailings in chile—a review
AU - Rodríguez, Freddy
AU - Moraga, Carlos
AU - Castillo, Jonathan
AU - Gálvez, Edelmira
AU - ROBLES VASQUEZ, PEDRO ADRIAN
AU - Toro, Norman
N1 - Funding Information:
Pedro Robles thanks the Pontificia Universidad Cat?lica de Valpara?so for the support provided.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - This review aims to understand the environmental impact that tailings produce on the land and marine ecosystem. Issues related to flora, fauna, and the environment are revised. In the first instance, the origin of the treatment and disposal of marine mining waste in Chile and other countries is studied. The importance of tailings’ valuable elements is analyzed through mineralogy, chemical composition, and oceanographic interactions. Several tailings’ treatments seek to recover valuable minerals and mitigate environmental impacts through leaching, bioleaching, and flotation methods. The analysis was complemented with the particular legislative framework for every country, highlighting those with formal regulations for the disposal of tailings in a marine environment. The available registry on flora and fauna affected by the discharge of toxic metals is explored. As a study case, the “Playa Verde” project is detailed, which recovers copper from marine tailings, and uses phytoremediation to neutralize toxic metals. Countries must regularize the disposal of marine tailings due to the significant impact on the marine ecosystem. The implementation of new technologies is necessary to recover valuable elements and reduce mining waste.
AB - This review aims to understand the environmental impact that tailings produce on the land and marine ecosystem. Issues related to flora, fauna, and the environment are revised. In the first instance, the origin of the treatment and disposal of marine mining waste in Chile and other countries is studied. The importance of tailings’ valuable elements is analyzed through mineralogy, chemical composition, and oceanographic interactions. Several tailings’ treatments seek to recover valuable minerals and mitigate environmental impacts through leaching, bioleaching, and flotation methods. The analysis was complemented with the particular legislative framework for every country, highlighting those with formal regulations for the disposal of tailings in a marine environment. The available registry on flora and fauna affected by the discharge of toxic metals is explored. As a study case, the “Playa Verde” project is detailed, which recovers copper from marine tailings, and uses phytoremediation to neutralize toxic metals. Countries must regularize the disposal of marine tailings due to the significant impact on the marine ecosystem. The implementation of new technologies is necessary to recover valuable elements and reduce mining waste.
KW - Environmental impact
KW - Mining waste
KW - Underwater tailing dumps
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105704223&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/met11050780
DO - 10.3390/met11050780
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85105704223
VL - 11
JO - Metals
JF - Metals
SN - 2075-4701
IS - 5
M1 - 780
ER -