Supplemental Materials
Toward a new paradigm for tailings phytostabilization –nature of the substrates,
amendment options and anthropogenic pedogenesis
Xiaofang Li
Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of
Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia
Supplementary Table 1 is in a separate ECXEL file.
Supplementary Table 2. Common sulfide minerals and their weathering reactions
present in tailings (Salmon and Malmstrom 2004, Chermak et al., 1992, Malmstrom et
al., 2006)
Mineral
Chemical
composition
Reaction
Pyrrhotite
Fe1-xS
Same pathways as pyrite
Galena
PbS
PbS(s) + H2O + Fe3+ → Pb2+ + Fe2+ + SO42- +
H+
Sphalerite
ZnS
ZnS(s) + O2 (aq) → Zn2+ + SO42ZnS(s) + H2O + Fe3+ → Zn2+ + Fe2+ + SO42- +
H+
Chalcopyrite CuFeS2
CuFeS2(s) + O2(aq) → Cu2+ + Fe2+ + SO42CuFeS2(s) + H2O + Fe3+ → Cu2+ + Fe2+ +
SO42- + H+
Covellite
CuS
CuS(s) + H2O + Fe3+ → Cu2+ + Fe2+ + SO42- +
H+
Chalcocite
Cu2S
Same pathways as covellite
Arsenopyrite FeAsS
FeAsS(s) + O2(aq) + H2O → H3AsO3 + Fe2+ +
SO42FeAsS(s) + H2O + Fe3+ → H3AsO3 + Fe2+ +
SO42- + H+
Supplementary Table 3. Common remediation measures and their target
physiochemical constrains of mine tailings
Remediation
measure
Physiochemical
constrains
Representative studies
Soil capping
Lack of top soils
Bauxite
residue mud
(Wehr et al.,
2006)
Uranium
mine tailings
(Lottermoser and
Ashley 2006)
Cu/Pb/Zn
mine tailings
(Hodge et al.,
1997)
Gold mine
tailings
(Julian 2008)
Tailings type
Deep ripping
Hardened top soils
Common practice
Irrigation
Poor hydraulic properties
Common practice
Organic amendment
(biosolids,
woodchips, manure,
etc)
Poor soil texture, nutrient
deficiency, lack of
microbial colonization
Pb/Zn mine
tailings
(Mendez et al.,
2007)
Gold mine
tailings
(Mains et al.,
2006)
Pyritic mine
(Walker et al.,
2004)
slurry
Inorganic fertilizers
amendment (mainly
NPK)
Mineral nutrient
deficiency
Pb/Zn mine
tailings
(Ye et al., 1999)
Zn mine
tailings
(Edenborn 2004)
Gold mine
tailings
(Grigg 2002)
Mineral sand
mine tailings
(Gravina and
Glenn 2011)
Metal mine
(Hunter and
Biochar amendment
Poor texture and elevated
toxic metals
tailings
Whiteman 1975)
Gold mine
tailings
(Mains et al.,
2006)
Pb/Zn mine
tailings
(Fellet et al.,
2011)
Cu mine
tailings
(Karami et al.,
2011)
Sludge amendment
Acidic substrate and
nutrient deficiency
Gold and
coal mine
tailings
(Van Rensburg
and Morgenthal
2003)
Liming
Strong acidic substrate
Ni/Cu mine
tailings
(Peters 1984)
Pb/Zn mine
tailings
(Ye et al., 1999)
Metal mine
tailings
(Davis et al.,
1999)
Coal mine
tailings
(Claassens et al.,
2006)
Supplementary Figure 1. Correlations between total metal concentration and DTPA
extractable metal concentration for Cu and Zn in base metal tailings worldwide. Data
was compiled from references (Supplemental Table 1).
Supplementary Figure 2. Organic C accumulation in selected mine lands. Data were
compiled from literatures (Frouz et al., 2001, Gilsotres et al., 1992, Srivastava et al.,
1989, Malik and Scullion 1998, Huang et al., 2011, Lewis et al., 2012, Banning et al.,
2011, Banning et al., 2012).
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