Journal
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume 11, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02842-7
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- Slovenian Research Agency [P6-0119, P1-0255]
- Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of Republic of Slovenia [C3330-17-529033, Raziskovalci-2.0-ZAG-529033]
- Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Education, Science and Sport
- European Regional Development Fund
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The mixture of coal bottom ash, slag, and fly ash placed in the cave may have harmful effects on the ecological environment and biota in the cave ecosystem. Thorough investigation should be carried out when removing these mixtures.
A mixture of coal bottom ash and slag, with a fraction of fly ash (CAFAS) from steam locomotives, was placed in the cave Divaska jama to delimit and level tourist trails. Emplacement began in 1914 and carried on for several decades. The CAFAS mixed with other cave material gradually changed its structure and appearance. Currently the concentration of some elements in the CAFAS (As, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn), and also to a lesser extent in cave sediments (Cr, Cu, Ni), indicates a possibly harmful effect on sediment-associated biota based on ecotoxicological assays. Compared to the cave sediment, the CAFAS contains distinctly different mineral phases and presents a different source of radioactivity. Microbial metabolic activity of CAFAS is low, 0.22 mu l O-2/gDW h, but higher than that of cave sediment. The present environmental hazards from CAFAS are estimated to be low. Whereas the emplacement of CAFAS was seen initially a long-term solution for waste disposal and management of the cave, it turned out that CAFAS enriches the underground environment with inorganic and organic compounds and disperses pollution into the cave ecosystem. After its removal from the cave, the CAFAS should be investigated thoroughly due to its susceptibility to alteration.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available