Assessing toxicity of mining effluents: equilibrium- and kinetics-based metal speciation and algal bioassay

Yamini Gopalapillai; Chuni L. Chakrabarti; David R. S. Lean

doi:10.1071/EN08027

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Previous Contents Vol 5(4)

Assessing toxicity of mining effluents: equilibrium- and kinetics-based metal speciation and algal bioassay

Yamini Gopalapillai ^A ^B , Chuni L. Chakrabarti ^A ^D and David R. S. Lean ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Ottawa-Carleton Chemistry Institute, Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.

^B Present address: University of Guelph, Land Resource Science, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.

^C Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Currie Private, PO Box 450, Station A, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.

^D Corresponding author. Email: chuni_chakrabarti@carleton.ca

Environmental Chemistry 5(4) 307-315 https://doi.org/10.1071/EN08027
Submitted: 23 April 2008 Accepted: 15 July 2008 Published: 19 August 2008

Environmental context. The release of mining effluents exposes natural waters to excess metals and thereby threatens both human and environmental health. The present study explores the toxicity of aqueous mining effluents collected from a mining area in Sudbury (Ontario, Canada), using two different methods for determination of metal speciation, and an algal toxicity study. The results show reasonable correlation between metal speciation and the observed toxicity and suggest the importance of taking into account other factors related to water quality criteria such as nutrient concentrations, diluent water and presence of other toxic metals that can greatly influence the toxicological result.

Abstract. The present study explores the toxicity of aqueous mining and municipal effluents from the Sudbury area (Canada) using equilibrium- and kinetics-based estimates of metal speciation and chronic toxicity studies using algae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata). Free metal ion concentration was determined by the Ion Exchange Technique (IET) and a computer speciation code, Windermere Humic Aqueous Model (WHAM) VI. Labile metal concentration was determined using the Competing Ligand Exchange Method. In general, no correlation was found between the observed IC₂₅ (concentration of test substance that inhibits growth of organism by 25%) and the [Ni]_labile, [Ni²⁺]_IET or [Ni²⁺]_WHAM, probably because of contributions by other metals such as Cu and Zn being also significant. Reasonable correlation (r² = 0.7575) was found when the observed toxicity was compared with the sum of free metal ions of Cu, Ni, and Zn predicted by WHAM. The results of the present study reveal the importance of taking into account other factors related to water quality criteria such as nutrient concentrations, diluent water, and the presence of other toxic metals, which greatly influence the toxicological result in complex, multi-metal contaminated waters.

Additional keywords: algae, bioavailability, chronic toxicity, metal speciation, mining effluents.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial supports of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada and the NSERC Metals in the Human Environment – Research Network (MITHE-RN). The authors also wish to thank Dr Emmanuel Yumvihoze (University of Ottawa) for measuring phosphate levels in the samples. Y.G. received a graduate scholarship from Carleton University Emmette Dunne Fund and Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology.

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