Buffering efficacy and interaction of minerals in clayey soil with contaminants from landfilling and mining activities: A bird-eye view

Abstract

The drastic growth in global population, energy resource use, industrial and infrastructure development have led to enormous problems in global conditions and contending environmental challenges. In recent years, South Africa has intensified research on industrialisation and associated environmental problems regarding waste generation, ecosystem matters, human and environmental health risk assessment, and waste management systems. The study has made it clear that geo-environments in and around landfills, and mines are severely contaminated by toxic substances not limited to heavy metals and organic compounds. The all-encompassing introductory presentation in this paper based on a bird-eye view-review approach, pinpoints the present state from site reconnaissance, and impact of landfilling and mining operations in areas with such activities. This study however, has paved way for subsequent technically intense investigations on assessing the buffering efficacy of natural soils from affected sites. This include examining the interaction of pollutants with the soil minerals in succeeding papers towards curtailing soil, surface, subsurface and ground water contamination which invariably affect human and environmental health.

Keywords

• Buffering
• Clayey soils
• Contaminants
• Landfills
• Tailings dams