Element Transfer in the Gas-Aerosol Phase from the Waste Pile of the Komsomolsk Gold Recovery Plant (Kemerovo Region)
Results of field and laboratory studies of steam and gas assisted escape of elements from the material of sulphide-containing tailing dump (Komsomolsk settlement, Kemerovo Region) are presented. It was established that sulphur dioxide concentration in the ground layer of the atmosphere above the tailing dump exceeds the maximum permissible concentration more than 10 times. Due to emission from ground into the air, a broad range of chemical elements enters the atmosphere, though these elements are traditionally considered as non-volatile at low temperatures (Fe, Al, Mn and so on). The concentrations of As, Ni, Zn and Pb are substantially higher than the MPC for the air of populated areas. The coefficients of element distribution between the pore solution and the absorbing substance (alkaline load) were calculated. The mobility of elements in phase separation depends on the forms of their presence in pore solutions of the upper part of storage. The urgency of determining MPC and/or relatively safe level of emission was revealed for the elements for which the standard values have not been adopted yet.