American Journal of Environmental Protection

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A Review of Nchanga Tailings Dam Operations and Seasonal Assessment of Its Effluent Quality

Received: 03 June 2016    Accepted: 21 June 2016    Published: 06 July 2016
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Abstract

The Nchanga tailings dam, a reservoir of mine waste from Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) operations in Zambia, discharges its effluent into the local Muntimpa stream. The Muntimpa stream, a possible source of drinking and domestic water for the local population, flows into Mwambashi stream which subsequently discharges into Kafue river. The Kafue river is a significant support of economic development in Zambia and is a source of 40% of drinking water for the cities with about 50% of the population living in the catchment. This study looks at an overview of the operations of Nchanga tailings dam and assesses the levels of pH, TSS, TDS, Cu, Mn, Co and SO4 in the effluent discharged in rainy and dry seasons. It also provides possible methods that could be used to lower pollutant levels to below recommended Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) limits. To determine the pollutant concentrations, sixty (60) samples were collected from the tailings dam spillway in rainy season (April) and dry season (October) of 2015 and analysed on a daily basis. The results indicated that the average pH, TSS and Cu levels in the samples from both wet and dry seasons were within the permissible range of 6.0-9.0, below 100 mg/l and 1.0 mg/l respectively. The TDS average figure (2658±331 mg/l) recorded in April was less than the allowable limit while significantly higher value (4783±86.6 mg/l) was obtained in October. The concentrations of Mn and Co were significantly high and above ZEMA limits with mean values of 79±22.1 mg/l and 11±5.9 mg/l for rainy season and 189±19.2 mg/l and 19±1.3 mg/l for dry season respectively. The SO4 content was observed to be high in both seasons with average figures of 2071±240 mg/l in April and 3628±261 mg/l in October. It was observed that the levels of all the parameters analysed (with exception of Cu) showed seasonal variations attributed to evaporative effects. To minimise contaminants levels in the effluent, it is recommended that the discharged effluent should be restricted in dry season until the levels of dissolved pollutants are sufficiently low in wet season. Recycling of water from the decantation pond of the tailings impoundment back to the main plant is an effective alternative that would eliminate pollution of water bodies. Other methods that could be employed involve the use of chemical and biological treatment technologies.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13
Published in American Journal of Environmental Protection (Volume 5, Issue 4, August 2016)
Page(s) 90-96
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Nchanga Tailings Dam, Muntimpa Stream, Mwambashi Stream, Effluent Quality

References
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Author Information
  • Department of Chemical Engineering, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia

  • Department of Chemical Engineering, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia

  • Department of Geology and Survey, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia

  • Tailings Leach Plant, Nchanga IBU, Konkola Copper Mines Plc, Chingola Zambia

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  • APA Style

    Ronald Ngulube, Kennedy Nakena Katundu, Kenny Nyirenda, Anthony Siakamba. (2016). A Review of Nchanga Tailings Dam Operations and Seasonal Assessment of Its Effluent Quality. American Journal of Environmental Protection, 5(4), 90-96. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13

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    Ronald Ngulube; Kennedy Nakena Katundu; Kenny Nyirenda; Anthony Siakamba. A Review of Nchanga Tailings Dam Operations and Seasonal Assessment of Its Effluent Quality. Am. J. Environ. Prot. 2016, 5(4), 90-96. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13

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    AMA Style

    Ronald Ngulube, Kennedy Nakena Katundu, Kenny Nyirenda, Anthony Siakamba. A Review of Nchanga Tailings Dam Operations and Seasonal Assessment of Its Effluent Quality. Am J Environ Prot. 2016;5(4):90-96. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13,
      author = {Ronald Ngulube and Kennedy Nakena Katundu and Kenny Nyirenda and Anthony Siakamba},
      title = {A Review of Nchanga Tailings Dam Operations and Seasonal Assessment of Its Effluent Quality},
      journal = {American Journal of Environmental Protection},
      volume = {5},
      number = {4},
      pages = {90-96},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajep.20160504.13},
      abstract = {The Nchanga tailings dam, a reservoir of mine waste from Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) operations in Zambia, discharges its effluent into the local Muntimpa stream. The Muntimpa stream, a possible source of drinking and domestic water for the local population, flows into Mwambashi stream which subsequently discharges into Kafue river. The Kafue river is a significant support of economic development in Zambia and is a source of 40% of drinking water for the cities with about 50% of the population living in the catchment. This study looks at an overview of the operations of Nchanga tailings dam and assesses the levels of pH, TSS, TDS, Cu, Mn, Co and SO4 in the effluent discharged in rainy and dry seasons. It also provides possible methods that could be used to lower pollutant levels to below recommended Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) limits. To determine the pollutant concentrations, sixty (60) samples were collected from the tailings dam spillway in rainy season (April) and dry season (October) of 2015 and analysed on a daily basis. The results indicated that the average pH, TSS and Cu levels in the samples from both wet and dry seasons were within the permissible range of 6.0-9.0, below 100 mg/l and 1.0 mg/l respectively. The TDS average figure (2658±331 mg/l) recorded in April was less than the allowable limit while significantly higher value (4783±86.6 mg/l) was obtained in October. The concentrations of Mn and Co were significantly high and above ZEMA limits with mean values of 79±22.1 mg/l and 11±5.9 mg/l for rainy season and 189±19.2 mg/l and 19±1.3 mg/l for dry season respectively. The SO4 content was observed to be high in both seasons with average figures of 2071±240 mg/l in April and 3628±261 mg/l in October. It was observed that the levels of all the parameters analysed (with exception of Cu) showed seasonal variations attributed to evaporative effects. To minimise contaminants levels in the effluent, it is recommended that the discharged effluent should be restricted in dry season until the levels of dissolved pollutants are sufficiently low in wet season. Recycling of water from the decantation pond of the tailings impoundment back to the main plant is an effective alternative that would eliminate pollution of water bodies. Other methods that could be employed involve the use of chemical and biological treatment technologies.},
     year = {2016}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - A Review of Nchanga Tailings Dam Operations and Seasonal Assessment of Its Effluent Quality
    AU  - Ronald Ngulube
    AU  - Kennedy Nakena Katundu
    AU  - Kenny Nyirenda
    AU  - Anthony Siakamba
    Y1  - 2016/07/06
    PY  - 2016
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13
    T2  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    JF  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    JO  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
    SP  - 90
    EP  - 96
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-5699
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20160504.13
    AB  - The Nchanga tailings dam, a reservoir of mine waste from Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) operations in Zambia, discharges its effluent into the local Muntimpa stream. The Muntimpa stream, a possible source of drinking and domestic water for the local population, flows into Mwambashi stream which subsequently discharges into Kafue river. The Kafue river is a significant support of economic development in Zambia and is a source of 40% of drinking water for the cities with about 50% of the population living in the catchment. This study looks at an overview of the operations of Nchanga tailings dam and assesses the levels of pH, TSS, TDS, Cu, Mn, Co and SO4 in the effluent discharged in rainy and dry seasons. It also provides possible methods that could be used to lower pollutant levels to below recommended Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) limits. To determine the pollutant concentrations, sixty (60) samples were collected from the tailings dam spillway in rainy season (April) and dry season (October) of 2015 and analysed on a daily basis. The results indicated that the average pH, TSS and Cu levels in the samples from both wet and dry seasons were within the permissible range of 6.0-9.0, below 100 mg/l and 1.0 mg/l respectively. The TDS average figure (2658±331 mg/l) recorded in April was less than the allowable limit while significantly higher value (4783±86.6 mg/l) was obtained in October. The concentrations of Mn and Co were significantly high and above ZEMA limits with mean values of 79±22.1 mg/l and 11±5.9 mg/l for rainy season and 189±19.2 mg/l and 19±1.3 mg/l for dry season respectively. The SO4 content was observed to be high in both seasons with average figures of 2071±240 mg/l in April and 3628±261 mg/l in October. It was observed that the levels of all the parameters analysed (with exception of Cu) showed seasonal variations attributed to evaporative effects. To minimise contaminants levels in the effluent, it is recommended that the discharged effluent should be restricted in dry season until the levels of dissolved pollutants are sufficiently low in wet season. Recycling of water from the decantation pond of the tailings impoundment back to the main plant is an effective alternative that would eliminate pollution of water bodies. Other methods that could be employed involve the use of chemical and biological treatment technologies.
    VL  - 5
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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