Assessment of Environmental Pollution and Risks Associated with Tailing Dams in a Historical Gold Mining Area of Ecuador

Bryan Salgado-Almeida, Arián Briones-Escalante, Daniel Falquez-Torres, Karla Filián-Haz, Fredy Guzmán-Martínez, Kenny Escobar-Segovia, Elizabeth Peña-Carpio and Samantha Jiménez-Oyola ()
Additional contact information
Bryan Salgado-Almeida: Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences FICT, ESPOL Polytechnic University ESPOL, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador
Arián Briones-Escalante: Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences FICT, ESPOL Polytechnic University ESPOL, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador
Daniel Falquez-Torres: Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences FICT, ESPOL Polytechnic University ESPOL, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador
Karla Filián-Haz: Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences FICT, ESPOL Polytechnic University ESPOL, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador
Fredy Guzmán-Martínez: Mexican Geological Survey (SGM), Boulevard Felipe Angeles Km. 93.50-4, Pachuca 42083, Mexico
Kenny Escobar-Segovia: Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences FICT, ESPOL Polytechnic University ESPOL, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador
Elizabeth Peña-Carpio: Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences FICT, ESPOL Polytechnic University ESPOL, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador
Samantha Jiménez-Oyola: Faculty of Engineering in Earth Sciences FICT, ESPOL Polytechnic University ESPOL, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador

Resources, 2024, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: Tailings are a significant concern due to their potential release of toxic elements into the environment, posing risks to ecosystems and human health. Therefore, understanding their polluting potential is crucial for effective mitigation strategies. This study evaluates the contaminating potential of eight tailing dams in the upper basin of the Puyango River in southern Ecuador. A physicochemical and mineralogical characterization of the tailings was conducted. The contents of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, V, and Zn were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). The contamination index (IC) and the risk (R I ) to the environment and population were evaluated. As a result, it was found that As, Cu, Pb, Se, and Zn exceeded the maximum permissible limits in all the samples according to Ecuadorian regulations. Six of the eight tailing dams presented very high pollution levels (21.28 < IC < 298.61), indicating a severe contamination risk. As, Sb, and Se were the most significant contributors to the index, with 29%, 31%, and 20% contribution to the overall IC, respectively. However, the risk assessment indicated a low risk (R I < 5) to both the population and the natural environment, mainly due to the distance between the tailing dams and the potential receptors. While the present risk associated with the studied tailing dams is low, there exists potential for long-term escalation.

Keywords: potentially toxic elements; mining environmental liabilities; contamination index; risk assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/13/8/105/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/13/8/105/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jresou:v:13:y:2024:i:8:p:105-:d:1442589

Access Statistics for this article

Resources is currently edited by Ms. Donchian Ma

More articles in Resources from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().