How does eliminating mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining lead to achieving sustainable development goals?

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the principal anthropogenic activity that globally contributes to overloading our environment with mercury. Although the Minamata Convention, led by the United Nations, is a crucial instrument to eliminate its use progressively, novel approaches to accelerate this difficult transition are welcome. This article proposes a framework for policy-making or improvement, fostering the enforcement of mercury elimination through the lens of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on the excluded artisanal and small-scale gold miners and their dependents. We move forward with a literature review of the Artisanal and Small Mining topic, taking each SDG as a unit of analysis. Understanding the problem as a puzzle of four sets of pieces, namely: (1) social, (2) environmental, (3) economic, and (4) institutional, the paper offers potential opportunities for the decision-makers and practitioners to accelerate the substitution of this heavy metal and develop sustainable futures for the ASGM communities. We conclude by proposing a pragmatic framework that synthesizes the means, actions, and ends to accelerate a sustainable transition.     

A double‐edged sword: Realities of artisanal and small‐scale mining for rural people in the Alaotra region of Madagascar

A growing number of people are entering the artisanal and small‐scale mining (ASM) sector worldwide. In Madagascar, millions of individuals depend on this informal activity. Through a case study in the Alaotra‐Mangoro region of Madagascar, our research aimed to understand the “bottom‐up” dynamics and ripple effects of the sector, by looking at the realities for rural communities where inhabitants are both directly and indirectly affected by ASM. We were interested in community members' and miners' perceptions of the socio‐economic and environmental impacts of ASM, and in identifying the factors attracting people living in one of the country's agricultural hubs to this activity. Our results show a wide diversity of push and pull factors leading people to enter the sector. Although many positive impacts of ASM exist for miners and communities within the vicinity of mines, most miner participants considered themselves worse off since starting to mine, highlighting the high risk and low probability of return of ASM. ASM's potential for local and national development will remain squandered if its negative impacts continue to go unmanaged. Accounting for local contexts and the ripple effects of ASM will be crucial in achieving safety and security for miners, and to tap into the benefits it may offer communities while minimising environmental damage.     

稳定剂对电解锰废渣中高浓度可溶性锰稳定效果的影响

为满足大宗废渣经济性处理的需要,从碱性物质、磷酸盐、碳酸盐类药剂筛选出“物美价廉”稳定剂,考察了CaO、MgO和Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2及其与NaHCO3和Na3PO4的组合对电解锰废渣中的可溶性锰的稳定化效果,并采用矿物组成分析、锰价态分析和形态变化探讨可溶性锰固定机理.结果表明:投加10%MgO锰渣中可溶性锰固定率达到100%,9%CaO+5%NaHCO3和9%CaO+5%Na3PO4的组合实现可溶性锰固定率95%以上.上述3组稳定剂将可溶性Mn2+先转变为沉淀态锰进一步转变为高价态含锰物相.后两组中NaHCO3或Na3PO4的加入促进了Mn2+向Mn3+、Mn4+的转化.     

矿产资源规划环境影响评估方法及实例研究

矿产资源规划环境影响评价有利于矿产资源的可持续利用和矿区的环境保护,随着全国性矿产资源规划、地区性矿产资源规划的制定和实施,探讨适合于矿产资源规划环境影响评价的方法体系显得相当重要.本文从矿产资源的特点出发,结合实例研究,构建了由可持续目标和环境目标设立法、专家评判法、矩阵法、强度分析法和GIS技术方法等组成的矿产资源规划环境影响评价方法体系,定量地评价了矿区环境的现状和规划引起的环境变化,为我国矿产资源规划环境影响评估提供借鉴.     

Treatment and skin decontamination of sarin intoxicated mice

Abstract

This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of oral treatment and skin decontamination with the mineral cationic carrier in sarin-intoxicated mice. Mice were contaminated with increasing percutaneous sarin doses and decontaminated. Furthermore, the surviving mice were treated per os. The behavioral patterns of the surviving animals were monitored for 72?h, including the animals’ posture, desire for food and water, and approach and touch response. The results showed the mineral cationic carrier to be capable of efficiently decontaminating animals percutaneous poisoned with triple lethal dose. The comparison of behavioral pattern of control animals against those treated per os showed statistically significant differences. Oral treatment with mineral cationic carrier may be a detoxification tool against nerve agents’ poisoning, and this merits further research.     

Measurement of watershed phosphorus: A review

Eutrophication control programs are based on phosphorus management which, in turn, requires a detailed quantification of the watershed phosphorus budget. This involves an assessment of non‐point sources of phosphorus, a key element of which is determining the fraction of soil‐P and sediment‐P available to support algal growth. This paper presents a review of the state‐of‐the‐art of estimating algal available‐P from non‐point sources, and an analysis of pertinent data. The need to employ multi‐interval algal bioassays in developing phosphorus management systems is stressed.     

云南宣威地区燃煤排放颗粒物中石英矿物的特征

云南宣威地区是我国人群肺癌死亡率最高的地区之一,过往研究表明,该区的高肺癌死亡率可能与居民室内燃煤排放颗粒物中的多环芳烃(PAHs)有关,而最近研究发现,其中的nm级石英可能是导致肺癌发生的原因, 但鲜见该区燃煤排放颗粒物中细粒石英矿物的研究. 为探究燃煤排放细粒矿物的分布特征,采集了肺癌高发区宣威市来宾镇及周边5个乡镇煤矿中的15个煤样,使用光学显微镜、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、带能谱的扫描电镜(SEM/EDS)分析了煤样的煤岩组分及矿物组成. 结果表明:宣威煤以中挥发分、较高镜质组烟煤为主,煤中主要矿物为石英、鲕绿泥石、高岭石和方解石;不同煤样中,矿物质的结晶程度有所差异;单颗粒统计结果显示,在所统计的775个矿物颗粒中,石英颗粒占37.9%,并且粒径多分布在1~2μm之间; 石英矿物颗粒的形状不规则且以微粒的形式填充在煤缝隙中. 石英与鲕绿泥石共存的现象显示,宣威煤中石英来源于富含Fe和Al的硅质热液流,而非岩石碎屑沉积;此外,在肺癌高发区(来宾镇),其煤中Si+Fe质矿物颗粒含量较Si质矿物高. 今后将重点研究石英颗粒在Fe参与下的生物活性.      

复合矿物吸附剂处理模拟含油废水性能研究

采用共混合法制备复合矿物吸附剂,通过矿物粉末对模拟含油废水COD的去除效果及复合矿物吸附剂质量散失率确定其组分的最佳配比。考察了吸附时间、振荡速率、废水pH、吸附剂用量等因素对模拟含油废水COD去除效果的影响。结果表明:制备复合矿物吸附剂最佳焙烧温度为600℃,最佳焙烧时间3 h,对模拟含油废水中COD的去除率可达90%以上。     

钛改性锰矿的除砷效果及机理研究

天然锰矿是一种廉价、易得的除砷矿物材料,为了进一步提高天然锰矿的除砷效果和吸附容量,采用TiCl4对广西桂林天然锰矿进行改性,并对其改性的条件进行优化。实验结果表明最佳的改性条件为:TiCl4浓度为10 mg/L,浸泡时间为18 h,pH=3.05,振荡吸附时间为1 h。与天然锰矿的去除效率(82.95%和77.93%)相比,改性锰矿对As(Ⅲ)和As(Ⅴ)去除率分别可达94.87%和99.31%,相应的饱和吸附量分别为3.48 mg/g和3.27 mg/g,较天然锰矿各自提高了1.25 mg/g和1.21 mg/g。改性锰矿对As(Ⅲ)的吸附符合Freundlich等温吸附模型,对As(Ⅴ)的吸附更符合Langmuir等温吸附模型。     

洱海沉积物有机质、铁、锰对磷的赋存特征和释放影响

利用SMT磷连续提取分级方法研究了洱海表层沉积物中磷的赋存特征,探讨有机质(OM),Fe和Mn对磷赋存形态及释放的影响,同时评估了洱海沉积物磷的释放风险. 结果表明:洱海表层沉积物w(TP)为710.3～1 961.2 mg/kg,其中w(Ca-P)最高(占36.9%～59.2%),w(OP)次之(占24.6%～36.9%),w(Fe/Al-P)最低(占9.8%～20.7%);w(OM)为25.0～119.6 mg/g,与w(TP)和w(Ca-P)呈显著负相关;w(总锰)为0.8～3.8 mg/g,w(总铁)为34.3～127.2 mg/g,均与w(TP)及其各形态磷含量呈显著正相关. 沉积物中w(Fe/Al-P)/w(Ca-P)比低于0.5,且w(总铁)/w(TP)远大于20,表明磷释放强度小,但w(TOC)/w(OP)<200,说明有机磷的潜在释放风险较大. w(TP)及其各形态磷含量均与无定形铁氧化物(Feo-Fep)含量呈显著正相关,而与结晶态铁氧化物(Fed-Feo)含量的相关性不显著,且全湖沉积物中的铁氧化物以Feo-Fep为主,表明洱海沉积物磷释放主要受Feo-Fep控制.