Soil quality in the basin of mine effluents and the potential of alleviation of metal dispersion

Abstract

The soils along the basin ofmine effluent were investigated for their role in the mitigation of the pollution of river water in the residential areas around Potchefstroom in South Africa.The results showed that the soils were mainly semi-permeable soil (K from 5.96 ×10-6 to 1.26 ×10-5 m/s) and the cation exchange potential (CEC) values(19.3 to 38.5 cmol/kg)were indicative of the presence of clays in the soils. Investigation of the adsorption potential of soils showed that they had higher affinity for Cu compared to Ni and Zn, and bottom soils were better adsorbents than the top soils. Clayey material in soils along the mine effluent basin enhances interaction with metals, contributing to the mitigation of water pollution