SMART data collection and inteGRation platform to enhance availability and accessibility of data and infOrmation in the

EU territory on SecoNDary Raw Materials

Assessing the environmental impacts of landfill mining activities

Csaba Vér, Dávid Somfai

University of Pécs

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 641988

Contents

1. Environmental impacts of landfill mining activities (on soil, water, air)

2. Environmental issues of pilot landfills and extractive waste facilities

3. Three examples of technology emissions in future landfill mining scenarios

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The environmental impacts of landfill mining activities

• In Smart Ground project, the environmental impacts on soil, air and water, as well as human health connected issues were analyzed in the investigated pilot sites (EW and MSW landfills).

• Detailed analysis has been developed to identify environmental, human health and safety issues linked to landfills and other facilities.

• In particular, samples of soil, water and air were investigated to identify, classify and quantify the content of potentially harmful minerals and other inorganic compounds (e.g. asbestos, quartz, synthetic vitreous fibers).

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Impact on air

• In the context of the SMART GROUND project, natural inorganic fibers and particles may come from the excavation of mining dumps or municipal solid waste (MSW), aiming the recovery of raw materials.

• Some of them could be harmful to human health when respired in high doses (e.g. asbestos fibers, quartz dusts), their possible release and presence in air, have to be specifically evaluated before beginning the recovery of raw materials.

• Numerous studies have highlighted associations between airborne particulate matter (PM) and adverse health effects, including morbidity and mortality, due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

• The composition of inorganic PM is complex (consisting of crustal elements, trace metals, and ionic species) and some of the particles are of greater public health concern than others.

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Impact on water

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• The impacts on water systems connected to mining activities depend on the ore type, metal being extracted, exploitation method, ore processing, pollution control efforts, geochemical and hydro-geochemical conditions of water and surroundings.

• In the European Union, standards to protect groundwater were implemented and required, e.g. some landfills to use plastic liners and collect and treat leachate (the water solution that results after water passes through a landfill).

• However, because of many disposal sites are old and thus exempted from these rules, the main impact on water resources remains leachate formation if not well controlled.

Figure 1.: Conceptual scheme of groundwater circulation in an abandoned metal extraction site

Figure 2.: Simplified scheme of groundwater and surface water contamination from a waste disposal site

Impact on soil

• Mining and smelting operations are often the most important local sources of environmental contamination by metals and metalloids.

• Metal contamination has been documented in many mining-smelting areas of the world, but little seems to have been done so far to remediate the contaminated sites.

• The presence of heavy metals in soils is a matter of concern because they are well known for their toxicity to humans and their persistence in the environment.

• The extraction of metals for various human purposes has had a considerable impact on the environment in terms of pollution, constituting the second most important source of heavy metal contamination of soil after sewage sludge.

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Environmental impact on air (Metsäsairila MSW landfill)

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Sampling well ID Compound Concentration

(µg/m3)

DH 1 Hexane 520 (EU-LCI value

4300)

Benzene 22 (-)

Toluene 150 (2900)

Ethylbenzene 33 (850)

p/m-xylene 110 (500)

DH 3 Hexane 490

Benzene 31

Toluene 180

Ethylbenzene 360

p/m-xylene 1200

DH 6 Hexane 750

Benzene 180

Toluene 900

Ethylbenzene 540

p/m-xylene 1400

• Landfill gases have negative effects on the environment and public health, such as explosive potential of methane and toxic impacts of VOC´s and H2S.

• Table 1. shows measured VOC’s in three measuring points.

• Methane gas, siloxanes and H2S released to air during landfill mining activity should not be neglected either.

Table 1 : Amounts of some measured VOC´s in three sampling

points in Metsäsairila MSW landfill

Environmental impact on air (Campello Monti EW facility)

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Figure 3 : Particles in PM2.5 in the samples CM_02_01 of Campello Monti

• The most abundant inorganic particles (in PM2.5) detected in sample CM_02_01 (Figure 3.) belong to pyroxene group (59%, they may be identified as enstatite and diopside).

• The remaining species are:

• amphiboles (16%, they may be identified as hornblende, tremolite-actinolite, and anthophyllite (probable)

• phyllosilicates (9%), Fe oxide/hydroxide (7%), and others (9%)

Environmental impact on water (Metsäsairila MSW landfill)

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Sample DH1

<20 mm

DH2a

<20 mm

DH3

<20 mm

DH6

<20 mm

DH7

< 20 mm

EU-landfill for

non-hazardous

waste

(2003/33/EC)

Eluate pH 8,3 8,3 8,6 8,1 8,1 >6

Leached components, mg/kg dry matter (L/S 10)

As <0.10 <0.10 0.11 <0.10 <0.10 2

Ba 0.22 0.64 0.45 0.79 0.78 100

Cd <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 1

Cr 0.02 <0.02 0.04 <0.02 <0.02 10

Cu 0.04 0.02 0.14 0.09 <0.02 50

Hg <0.10 <0.10 <0.10 <0.10 <0.10 0.2

Mo 0.33 0.39 0.25 0.09 0.25 10

Ni 0.14 0.12 0.33 0.28 0.20 10

Pb <0.10 <0.10 <0.10 <0.10 <0.10 10

Sb <0.20 <0.20 <0.20 <0.20 <0.20 0.7

Se <0.30 <0.30 <0.30 <0.30 <0.30 0.5

Zn 0.22 0.16 0.51 0.13 0.98 50

Cl- 360 370 960 340 1100 15000

F- 36 3.1 2.0 2.8 16 150

SO42- 1700 5300 3200 16000 16000 20000

DOC 190 160 470 410 410 800

• Table 2. shows the results of leaching tests for the fine fraction samples in Metsäsairila landfill.

• In comparison, leaching criteria for EU-landfill for non-hazardous waste (2003/33/EC) are shown.

• All the leaching criteria for EU-landfill for non-hazardous waste were fulfilled.

• There are many factors affecting the quality of leachates, i.e. age, precipitation, seasonal weather variation, waste type and composition.

• In particular, the composition of landfill leachates varies greatly depending on the age of the landfill. Table 2. : Leaching test (EN 12457-4) results for fine fraction samples

<20 mm from Metsäsairila landfill.

Environmental impact on water (Campello Monti EW facility)

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• The results of chemical analyses (see in Table 3.) on surface water samples were compared with the guidelines laid down by European (EU Directive 2008/105/CE) and national legislation on water pollution (Italian legislative decree 152/06).

• Water samples with high nickel concentrations (up to 512 μg/l) are located in the creek that crosses the mine area.

• Free cyanides were never detected.

Table 3. : Chemical analyses of SW samples of Campello Monti

Environmental impact on soil (Metsäsairila MSW landfill)

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• According to table 4., the fine fraction (<20 mm) samples contained primarily compounds of Ba, Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb.

• Amounts of Ag, Au and In were rather low, as expected.

Table 4.: Chemcial parameters reults from Metsäsairila Landfill

Environmental impact on soil (Campello Monti EW facility)

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Sample Fe Mn Cd Co Cu Cr Ni Pb Zn

g/kg mg/kg

CM_01_S 31 2394 nd 31 38 103 33 147 167

CM_02_S 32 1277 nd 28 36 91 32 84 153

CM_03_S 25 525 nd 61 3 309 728 573 52 100

CM_04_S 32 587 nd 64 198 661 420 17 42

CM_05_S 24 575 nd 55 168 812 376 17 61

CM_06_S 40 815 nd 40 74 301 127 70 96

CM_07_S 32 598 nd 67 242 1600 575 62 93

CM_08_S 32 648 nd 45 137 521 266 52 80

CM_09_S 31 593 nd 27 55 236 100 77 95

CM_10_S 36 369 nd 47 142 605 277 103 82

CM_11_S 31 327 nd 16 113 154 79 118 70

CM_12_S 64 547 nd 30 76 196 91 61 96

CM_13_S 105 842 nd 26 202 369 1 055 32 76

CM_14_S 71 478 nd 64 966 427 1 083 27 118

CM_15_S 31 274 nd 389 835 531 11 159 22 214

CM_16_S 58 332 nd 12 59 91 130 156 84

CM_17_S 46 967 nd 29 36 219 707 77 99

CM_18_S 41 626 nd 38 534 568 2 044 49 48

Pseudo-total content of metals in Campello Monti soils samples. (nd= not detected). Values above the legislative limits are in bold

• The soils are heavily contaminated by heavy metals (see Table 5.).

• In Campello Monti they are especially contaminated by Ni, Cr and Cu.

• Most Co values are greater than the legislation level (20 mg/kg) and one sample near the tailings (CM_15_S) is above the upper limit (250).

Table 5.: Pseudo-total content of metals in Campello Monti soil samples

Pátka tailings – emissions of a future mineral processing plant

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Air pollution kg

SO2 5,057

CO 75,855

CO2 4,197,310

CH4 364

NOx 166,881

Dust 5,057

• At the Fluorite flotation tailings at Pátka village (Hungary), a future mineral processing plant would treat about 16,200 tons of tailings material during its lifespan, producing 650 tons of Fluorite preconcentrate.

• The use of diesel fuel and 50,500 MWh electricity results in the emission values seen in table 6.

Input kg Output kg

Fluorspar flotation

tailing 16,200,000

Preconcentrate 650,000

Tailings 15,550,000

Table 6.: Pátka - emissions

Table 7.: Pátka mineral processing tailings input and output flows

Rudabánya tailings – emissions of a future mineral processing plant

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Air pollution kg

SO2 11,660

CO 174,900

CO2 9,677,800

CH4 839

NOx 384,780

Dust 11,660

Input t Output t

Iron ore processing

tailings 4,000,000

Coarse product 2,000,000

Magnetic product

800,000

Non magnetic product

1,200,000

Table 9.: Rudabánya mineral processing tailings input and output flows

Table 8.: Rudabánya - emissions

• At the iron ore processing plant’s tailings at Rudabánya (Hungary), a future mineral processing plant would treat about 4 million tons of tailings material during its lifespan, producing 800 thousand tons of magnetic and 1,2 million tons of non magnetic products.

• The use of diesel fuel and 76,600 MWh electricity results in the emission values seen in table 8.

Debrecen MSW landfill technology emissions

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Air pollution kg

SO2 16456

CO 246844

CO2 14971204

CH4 1185

NOx 543057

Dust 16456

Input t Output t

Landfill waste

3,746,090

<40 mm fraction 1,873,045

Fe concentrate 18,730

Inert 767,948

Al product (non-Fe) 187,304

pressed Ground RDF

899,061

Table 11.: Debrecen MSW landfill processing plant input and output flows

Table 10.: Debrecen - emissions

• At the municipal solid waste landfill in Debrecen (Hungary), a future processing plant would treat about 3.7 million tons of old MSW during its lifespan, producing around 900 thousand tons of Residue Derived Fuel, 18.7 thousand tons of ferrous and 187 thousand tons of non-ferrous products.

• The use of diesel fuel and 168,000 MWh electricity results in the emission values seen in table 10.

Project Coordinator Marco de la Feld

ENCO s.r.l. m.delafeld@enco-consulting.it www.smart-ground.eu