Effects of microorganisms on the migration and transformation of typical heavy metal (loid)s in mercury-thallium mining waste slag during the combined application of fish manure and natural minerals

Xingying Li; Yonggui Wu; Hui Wang; Jichang Wen; Mei Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139385

Effects of microorganisms on the migration and transformation of typical heavy metal (loid)s in mercury-thallium mining waste slag during the combined application of fish manure and natural minerals

Chemosphere. 2023 Oct:337:139385. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139385. Epub 2023 Jul 1.

Authors

Xingying Li¹, Yonggui Wu², Hui Wang¹, Jichang Wen³, Mei Zhu¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China.
² College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; Guizhou Karst Environmental Ecosystems Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China; Guizhou Hostile Environment Ecological Restoration Technology Engineering Research Centre, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China. Electronic address: ygwu72@126.com.
³ New Rural Development Research Institute, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China.

PMID: 37394189
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139385

Abstract

Mercury-thallium mining waste slag has the characteristics of extremely acidic, low fertility and highly toxic polymetallic composite pollution, making it difficult to be treated. We use nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich natural organic matter (fish manure) and calcium- and phosphorus-rich natural minerals (carbonate and phosphate tailings) individually or in combination to amend the slag, analyze their effects on the migration and transformation of potentially toxic elements (Tl and As) in the waste slag. We set up sterile and non-sterile treatments specifically to further investigate the direct or indirect effect of microorganisms attached to added organic matter on Tl and As. The results showed that addition of fish manure and natural minerals to the non-sterile treatments promoted the release of As and Tl, resulting in an increase in As and Tl concentrations in the tailing lixiviums from 0.57 to 2.38-6.37 μg/L and from 69.92 to 107.51-157.21 μg/L, respectively. Sterile treatments promoted the release of As (from 0.28 to 49.88-104.18 μg/L) and inhibited the release of Tl (from 94.53 to 27.60-34.50 μg/L). Use of fish manure and natural minerals alone or in combination significantly reduced the biotoxicity of the mining waste slag, in which the combination was more efficient. XRD analysis showed that microorganisms in the medium promoted the dissolution of jarosite and other minerals, which indicated that the release and migration of As and Tl in Hg-Tl mining waste slag were closely related to microbial activities. Furthermore, metagenomic sequencing revealed that microorganisms such as Prevotella, Bacteroides, Geobacter, and Azospira, which were abundant in the non-sterile treatments, had remarkable resistance to a variety of highly toxic heavy metals and could affect the dissolution of minerals and the release and migration of heavy metals through redox reactions. Our results may aid in the rapid soilless ecological restoration of related large multi-metal waste slag dumps.

Keywords: Heavy metals; Hg-Tl mining waste slag; Metagenome; Microorganisms; Redox; Release and migration.

MeSH terms

Manure
Mercury*
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Minerals / analysis
Phosphorus
Thallium / analysis

Substances

Thallium
Mercury
Manure
Metals, Heavy
Minerals
Phosphorus