Biogeochemical controls on the potential for long-term contaminant leaching from soils developing on historic coal mine spoil

David Singer; Elizabeth Herndon; Laura Zemanek; Kortney Cole; Tyler Sanda; John Senko; Nicolas Perdrial

doi:10.3390/soilsystems5010003

Biogeochemical controls on the potential for long-term contaminant leaching from soils developing on historic coal mine spoil

David Singer, Elizabeth Herndon, Laura Zemanek, Kortney Cole, Tyler Sanda, John Senko, Nicolas Perdrial

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Coal mine spoil is widespread in US coal mining regions, and the potential long-term leaching of toxic metal(loid)s is a significant and underappreciated issue. This study aimed to determine the flux of contaminants from historic mine coal spoil at a field site located in Appalachian Ohio (USA) and link pore water composition and solid-phase composition to the weathering reaction stages within the soils. The overall mineralogical and microbial community composition indicates that despite very different soil formation pathways, soils developing on historic coal mine spoil and an undisturbed soil are currently dominated by similar mineral weathering reactions. Both soils contained pyrite coated with clays and secondary oxide minerals. However, mine spoil soil contained abundant residual coal, with abundant Fe-and Mn-(oxy)hydroxides. These secondary phases likely control and mitigate trace metal (Cu, Ni, and Zn) transport from the soils. While Mn was highly mobile in Mn-enriched soils, Fe and Al mobility may be more controlled by dissolved organic carbon dynamics than mineral abundance. There is also likely an underappreciated risk of Mn transport from coal mine spoil, and that mine spoil soils could become a major source of metals if local biogeochemical conditions change.

Original language	English
Article number	3
Pages (from-to)	1-24
Number of pages	24
Journal	Soil Systems
Volume	5
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems5010003
State	Published - Mar 2021
Externally published	Yes

Funding

Acknowledgments: This research was supported by Kent State University (DMS) and the Ohio Water Research Center (grant #15040198 to DMS). We thank KSU students Jonathan Mills and Mikala Coury for assistance in soil collection and particle size analyses. We also thank Marissa Lautzenheiser (Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership) for logistical support at the study site. Funding: This research was funded by Ohio Water Research Center: 15040198.

Keywords

Coal mine spoil
Metal biogeochemical cycling
Soil pore water
Toxic metals

Access to Document

10.3390/soilsystems5010003

Cite this

@article{2a5eb3f74fd64afe842b1b5a551c5fa3,

title = "Biogeochemical controls on the potential for long-term contaminant leaching from soils developing on historic coal mine spoil",

abstract = "Coal mine spoil is widespread in US coal mining regions, and the potential long-term leaching of toxic metal(loid)s is a significant and underappreciated issue. This study aimed to determine the flux of contaminants from historic mine coal spoil at a field site located in Appalachian Ohio (USA) and link pore water composition and solid-phase composition to the weathering reaction stages within the soils. The overall mineralogical and microbial community composition indicates that despite very different soil formation pathways, soils developing on historic coal mine spoil and an undisturbed soil are currently dominated by similar mineral weathering reactions. Both soils contained pyrite coated with clays and secondary oxide minerals. However, mine spoil soil contained abundant residual coal, with abundant Fe-and Mn-(oxy)hydroxides. These secondary phases likely control and mitigate trace metal (Cu, Ni, and Zn) transport from the soils. While Mn was highly mobile in Mn-enriched soils, Fe and Al mobility may be more controlled by dissolved organic carbon dynamics than mineral abundance. There is also likely an underappreciated risk of Mn transport from coal mine spoil, and that mine spoil soils could become a major source of metals if local biogeochemical conditions change.",

keywords = "Coal mine spoil, Metal biogeochemical cycling, Soil pore water, Toxic metals",

author = "David Singer and Elizabeth Herndon and Laura Zemanek and Kortney Cole and Tyler Sanda and John Senko and Nicolas Perdrial",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",

year = "2021",

month = mar,

doi = "10.3390/soilsystems5010003",

language = "English",

volume = "5",

pages = "1--24",

journal = "Soil Systems",

issn = "2571-8789",

publisher = "MDPI",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Biogeochemical controls on the potential for long-term contaminant leaching from soils developing on historic coal mine spoil

AU - Singer, David

AU - Herndon, Elizabeth

AU - Zemanek, Laura

AU - Cole, Kortney

AU - Sanda, Tyler

AU - Senko, John

AU - Perdrial, Nicolas

PY - 2021/3

Y1 - 2021/3

N2 - Coal mine spoil is widespread in US coal mining regions, and the potential long-term leaching of toxic metal(loid)s is a significant and underappreciated issue. This study aimed to determine the flux of contaminants from historic mine coal spoil at a field site located in Appalachian Ohio (USA) and link pore water composition and solid-phase composition to the weathering reaction stages within the soils. The overall mineralogical and microbial community composition indicates that despite very different soil formation pathways, soils developing on historic coal mine spoil and an undisturbed soil are currently dominated by similar mineral weathering reactions. Both soils contained pyrite coated with clays and secondary oxide minerals. However, mine spoil soil contained abundant residual coal, with abundant Fe-and Mn-(oxy)hydroxides. These secondary phases likely control and mitigate trace metal (Cu, Ni, and Zn) transport from the soils. While Mn was highly mobile in Mn-enriched soils, Fe and Al mobility may be more controlled by dissolved organic carbon dynamics than mineral abundance. There is also likely an underappreciated risk of Mn transport from coal mine spoil, and that mine spoil soils could become a major source of metals if local biogeochemical conditions change.

AB - Coal mine spoil is widespread in US coal mining regions, and the potential long-term leaching of toxic metal(loid)s is a significant and underappreciated issue. This study aimed to determine the flux of contaminants from historic mine coal spoil at a field site located in Appalachian Ohio (USA) and link pore water composition and solid-phase composition to the weathering reaction stages within the soils. The overall mineralogical and microbial community composition indicates that despite very different soil formation pathways, soils developing on historic coal mine spoil and an undisturbed soil are currently dominated by similar mineral weathering reactions. Both soils contained pyrite coated with clays and secondary oxide minerals. However, mine spoil soil contained abundant residual coal, with abundant Fe-and Mn-(oxy)hydroxides. These secondary phases likely control and mitigate trace metal (Cu, Ni, and Zn) transport from the soils. While Mn was highly mobile in Mn-enriched soils, Fe and Al mobility may be more controlled by dissolved organic carbon dynamics than mineral abundance. There is also likely an underappreciated risk of Mn transport from coal mine spoil, and that mine spoil soils could become a major source of metals if local biogeochemical conditions change.

KW - Coal mine spoil

KW - Metal biogeochemical cycling

KW - Soil pore water

KW - Toxic metals

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85099448573

U2 - 10.3390/soilsystems5010003

DO - 10.3390/soilsystems5010003

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85099448573

SN - 2571-8789

VL - 5

SP - 1

EP - 24

JO - Soil Systems

JF - Soil Systems

IS - 1

M1 - 3

ER -

Biogeochemical controls on the potential for long-term contaminant leaching from soils developing on historic coal mine spoil

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this