Assessment of the acid drainage neutralization capacity and the toxic metals lixiviation of tailing from Guanajuato mining district,Mexico

In Mexico, many environmental problems are generated by large mining activities taking place in several mining districts. These mining activities produce great quantities of residues; large majorities of these have high sulfur content, which could generate acid drainage due to their interaction with the oxygen in the environment. The study area was located in the Mining District of Guanajuato, Mexico with abandoned tailings generated mainly by the gold and silver production. Two areas, called as Monte de San Nicolás (SN) and Peregrina (P) were selected for this study. The results study shows that there was no risk of production of acid drainage, since these tailings contained high amount of carbonates, which neutralized the generation of acidity and consequently decreased the possibility of leaching of some elements. However, not all elements leach in acid pH, as arsenic bound to oxyhydroxides, which is in a basic environment and its increased release by increasing the pH.     

The synergistic effect of calcium on organic carbon sequestration to ferrihydrite

Sequestration of organic carbon (OC) in environmental systems is critical to mitigating climate change. Organo-mineral associations, especially those with iron (Fe) oxides, drive the chemistry of OC sequestration and stability in soils. Short-range-ordered Fe oxides, such as ferrihydrite, demonstrate a high affinity for OC in binary systems. Calcium commonly co-associates with OC and Fe oxides in soils, though the bonding mechanism (e.g., cation bridging) and implications of the co-association for OC sequestration remain unresolved. We explored the effect of calcium (Ca²⁺) on the sorption of dissolved OC to 2-line ferrihydrite. Sorption experiments were conducted between leaf litter-extractable OC and ferrihydrite at pH 4 to 9 with different initial C/Fe molar ratios and Ca²⁺ concentrations. The extent of OC sorption to ferrihydrite in the presence of Ca²⁺ increased across all tested pH values, especially at pH ≥ 7. Sorbed OC concentration at pH 9 increased from 8.72 ± 0.16 to 13.3 ± 0.20 mmol OC g^?1 ferrihydrite between treatments of no added Ca²⁺ and 30 mM Ca²⁺ addition. Batch experiments were paired with spectroscopic studies to probe the speciation of sorbed OC and elucidate the sorption mechanism. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy analysis revealed that carboxylic functional moieties were the primary sorbed OC species that were preferentially bound to ferrihydrite and suggested an increase in Fe-carboxylate ligand exchange in the presence of Ca at pH 9. Results from batch to spectroscopic experiments provide significant evidence for the enhancement of dissolved OC sequestration to 2-line ferrihydrite and suggest the formation of Fe–Ca-OC ternary complexes. Findings of this research will inform modeling of environmental C cycling and have the potential to influence strategies for managing land to minimize OM stabilization.     

Creep behaviour of intact and remoulded fibrous peat

This paper presents the creep behaviour of intact and remoulded specimens of fibrous peat obtained from a field site near Anzac, Alberta, Canada. The creep behaviour was investigated by means of long-term drained and undrained triaxial tests. The development of volumetric, axial, and undrained axial strain and strain rate during drained and undrained creep tests under variable stress conditions is presented. The stress _– strain _– strain rate (p′–ε _v–\(\dot{\varepsilon }_{\text{v}}\)) relationship is found to be unique for different stress and loading durations. The p′–ε _v–\(\dot{\varepsilon }_{\text{v}}\) relationship is analysed and represented by creep isotaches. The applicability of different creep models developed for normally consolidated clay is discussed and applied to define the development of creep strain in fibrous peat under varying isotropic and deviator stresses. The secondary consolidation coefficient for evaluating the volumetric strain rate of peat is found to be applicable with some limits. The drained creep behaviour of remoulded peat specimens differs from the behaviour shown by Shelby tube specimens, whereas the undrained creep behaviour in remoulded and Shelby tube specimens is similar.     

Deformation mechanism of strain localization in 2D numerical interface tests

Heterogeneity arises in soil subjected to interface shearing, with the strain gradually localizing into a band area. How the strain localization accumulates and develops to form the structure is crucial in explaining some significant constitutive behaviors of the soil–structural interface during shearing, for example, stress hardening, softening, and shear-dilatancy. Using DEM simulation, interface shear tests with a periodic boundary condition are performed to investigate the strain localization process in densely and loosely packed granular soils. Based on the velocity field given by grains’ translational and rotational velocities, several kinematic quantities are analyzed during the loading history to demonstrate the evolution of strain localization. Results suggest that tiny concentrations in the shear deformation have already been observed in the very early stage of the shear test. The degree of the strain localization, quantified by a proposed new indicator, α, steadily ascends during the stress-hardening regime, dramatically jumps prior to the stress peak, and stabilizes at the stress steady state. Loose specimen does not develop a steady pattern at the large strain, as the deformation pattern transforms between localized and diffused failure modes. During the stress steady state of both specimens, remarkable correlations are observed between α and the shear stress, as well as between α and the volumetric strain rate.     

A micro–macro investigation of the capillary strengthening effect in wet granular materials

Wet granular materials are three-dimensionally simulated by the discrete element method with water bridges incorporated between particles. The water bridges are simplified as toroidal shapes, and the matric suction is constantly maintained in the material. A comparison with experimental tests in the literature indicates that the toroidal shape approximation may be one of the best choices with high practicability and decent accuracy. Mechanical behaviours of wet granular materials are studied by triaxial tests. Effects of particle size distributions and void ratios are investigated systematically in this study. The hydraulic limit of the pendular state is also discussed. It gives the capillary cohesion function which is not only determined by the degree of saturation but also positively correlated to relative density and particle size polydispersity and inversely proportional to mean particle size. Furthermore, the capillary strengthening effect is also analysed microscopically in aid of the Stress–Force–Fabric relationship, mainly in fabric anisotropy, coordination number and stress transmission pattern, which revealed the micro-mechanisms of the additional effective stress induced by capillary effect.     

An adjoint-based optimization method for gas production in shale reservoirs

In this work, we consider a new model for flow in a multiporosity shale gas reservoir constructed within the framework of an upscaling procedure where hydraulic fractures are treated as (\(n-1\)) interfaces (\(n=2,3\)). Within this framework, the hydrodynamics is governed by a new pressure equation in the shale matrix which is treated as a homogenized porous medium composed of organic matter (kerogen aggregates with nanopores) and inorganic impermeable solid (clay, calcite, quartz) separated from each other by a network of interparticle pores of micrometer size. The solution of the pressure equation is strongly influenced by the constitutive response of the retardation parameter and effective hydraulic conductivity where the former incorporates gas adsorption/desorption in the nanopores of the kerogen. By focusing our analyses on this nonlinear diffusion equation in the domain occupied by the shale matrix, an optimization strategy seated on the adjoint sensitivity method is developed to minimize a cost functional related to gas production and net present value in a single hydraulic fracture. The gradient of the objective functional computed with the adjoint formulation is explored to update the controlled pressure drop aiming to optimize production in a given window of time. The combination of the direct approach and gradient-based optimization using the adjoint formulation leads to the construction of optimal production scenarios under controlled pressure decline in the well. Numerical simulations illustrate the potential of the methodology proposed herein in optimizing gas production.     

Source and yearly distribution of PAHs in the snow from the Hailuogou glacier of Mountain Gongga,China

Snow samples were collected over a 3-year period from 2012 to 2014 at the Hailuogou glacier of Mountain Gongga (Mt. Gongga) and analyzed for 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). The results show that total average levels of the 16 PAHs ranged from 452 to 290 ng·L^?1 with a possible declining trend from 2012 to 2014. Distances between the sampling sites and the emission sources were estimated at typically less than 500 km. The results suggest that the major source of PAHs was from coal combustion, while contributions from automobile exhaust played an important role in more recent years. This finding was in agreement with the characteristics of presence of local industry, residence, and recent development of tourism of the surrounding areas.     

Oil geochemistry derived from the Qinjiatun–Qikeshu oilfields: insight from light hydrocarbons

A suite of 27 oils from the Qinjiatun–Qikeshu oilfields in the Lishu Fault Depression of the Songliao Basin was analyzed using whole oil gas chromatography. In combination with the relative distribution of C₂₇, C₂₈, and C₂₉ regular steranes, detailed geochemical analyses of light hydrocarbons in oil samples revealed crude oils characterized by the dual input of lower aquatic organisms and higher terrestrial plants. Several light hydrocarbon indicators suggest that the liquid hydrocarbons have maturities equivalent to vitrinite reflectances of around 0.78%–0.93%. This is consistent with the maturity determination of steranes C₂₉ 20S/(20S + 20R) and C₂₉ ααβ/(ααα + αββ). Crude oils derived from the two distinct oilfields likely both have source rocks deposited in a lacustrine environment based on light hydrocarbon parameters and on higher molecular weight hydrocarbon parameters. The results show that light hydrocarbon data in crude oils can provide important information for understanding the geochemical characteristics of the Qinjiatun–Qikeshu oils during geologic evolution.     

Distribution and geochemical significance of trace elements in shale rocks and their residual kerogens

There is a dearth of information about the distribution of trace elements in kerogen from shale rocks despite several reports on trace element composition in many shale samples. In this study, trace elements in shale rocks and their residual kerogens were determined by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. The results from this study show redox-sensitive elements relatively concentrated in the kerogens as compared to the shales. This may be primarily due to the adsorption and complexation ability of kerogen, which enables enrichment in Ni, Co, Cu, and Zn. For the rare earth elements (REEs), distinct distribution characteristics were observed for shales dominated by terrigenous minerals and their kerogen counterparts. However, shales with less input of terrigenous minerals showed similar REE distribution patterns to their residual kerogen. It is speculated that the distribution patterns of the REEs in shales and kerogens may be source-related.     

Comparison of AMSR-2 wind speed and sea surface temperature with moored buoy observations over the Northern Indian Ocean

The Northern Indian Ocean (NIO) is unique due to seasonal reversal of wind patterns, the formation of vortices and eddies which make satellite observations arduous. The veracity of sea surface wind (SSW) and sea surface temperature (SST) products of sun-synchronous AMSR-2 satellite are compared with high-temporal moored buoy observations over the NIO. The two year-long (2013–2014) comparisons reveal that the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of AMSR-2 SST and SSW is \(<0.4{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\) and \(<1.5\hbox { ms}^{-1}\), respectively, which are within the error range prescribed for the AMSR-2 satellite (\(\pm 0.8{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\), \(\pm 1.5\hbox { ms}^{-1})\). The SST–wind relation is analyzed using data both from the buoy and satellite. As a result, the low-SST is associated with low-wind condition (positive slope) in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal (BoB), while low SST values are associated with high wind conditions (negative slope) over the southern BoB. Moreover, the AMSR-2 displayed larger slope for SST–wind relation and could be mainly due to overestimation of SST and underestimation of wind as compared to the buoy. The AMSR-2 SSW exhibited higher error during post-monsoon followed by monsoon season and could be attributed to the high wind conditions associated with intense oceanic vortices. The study suggests that the AMSR-2 products are reliable and can be used in tropical air–sea interactions, meso-scale features, and weather and climate studies.