International Journal of Environmental Science and Toxicology Research

43-54

Authors: Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Prashant R. Thawale and Asha Ashok Juwarkar

Mine spoil dump generated due to mining activities poses drastic physico-chemical and biological constraints for sustainable vegetation. The various environmental problems that are associated with mining activities are deforestation, removal of fertile topsoil, unstable slopes prone to sliding and erosion, siltation of water bodies due to wash off of mineral overburden dumps, air pollution due to discharge of dust and noise pollution. Microbe Assisted Phytoremediation Technology (MAPT) has been developed for sustainable restoration of coal mine spoil dump. Results indicated that the application of MAPT had improved up to 3-5 folds the physico-chemical and microbiological properties of the coal mine soil dump. The inoculation of biofertlizers significantly increased the different microbial groups such as Azotobacter, Rhizobium and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) spores, which were practically absent in the coal mine spoil dump. The toxicity of the heavy metals present in the spoil was also reduced to a large extent. Thus, MAPT is an excellent tool for fast restoration of coal mine spoil dump that provides better supportive material for anchorage and growth of the plants leading to the development of sustainable eco-system, carbon sinks, and mitigating the various environmental hazards and improving the environmental health of the nearby contaminated sites. Keywords: Coal mine spoil, Azotobacter, VAM, Environmental restoration.

64-80

Authors: Jacob Nyende, Modreck G and van Tonder G

Hydrogeochemical investigations were carried out with the aim of assessing the geochemical water composition and processes governing groundwater hydrochemistry in Alluvial Aquifer of the Modder River catchment in Southern Africa and the granitic fractured Aquifer of Pallisa District in eastern Uganda. This was based on chemical analyses of water samples from existing wells and new boreholes in the two study areas. From the analyses, there were significant variations in the quality composition of groundwater. The calculated SAR, Na% and RSC values indicated that the water is of good quality and is suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes except for a few locations. Na and HCO3 are dominant with respect to the chemical composition of the groundwater. Detailed studies of the hydrogeochemical processes in the alluvial and granitic aquifer systems also shown that dissolution of silicate weathering, dolomite and calcite minerals, ion exchanges as well as anthropogenic influence in a lesser extent are the dominant hydrogeochemical processes that control groundwater quality. The increase in salinity is related to the dissolution of minerals in the host rocks and the evaporative concentration of solutes. Keywords: Hydrogeochemistry, Granitic fractured, Alluvial channel aquifer, WISH, PHREEQC model, Pallisa District, Modder River catchment.