Impact of hard-coal waste dump on water quality — A case study of Ludwikowice Klodzkie (Nowa Ruda Coalfield, SW Poland)

摘要

Numerous hard coal exploitation centers were operated in the Lower Silesia Coal Basin (south-western Poland) until the end of the XXth century. As a result of this industrial activity large amounts of mining wastes were deposited in the vicinity of the coal mines. This study focuses on potential environmental effects of hard-coal waste dumps on the surrounding environment especially on water. We sampled waste rock along the 10 meters depth profile from one of the dumps located in the study area. Mineralogical composition of this material is heterogeneous and varies at different depths of the profile. Upper part of the dump is mostly composed of quartz, musco-vite, kaolinite and Fe oxyhydroxides. Deeper part of the dump consists of waste rocks composed mostly of mullite, gypsum, jarosite and quartz. Solid samples were subsequently subjected to a one step extraction using distilled water in order to show a potential teachability of inorganic contaminants from wastes. Results of the leaching experiment show that chemical composition of effluents clearly depends on the mineral composition of wastes from different parts of the dump.