Abstract

Lithium mining driven by the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries, has environmental consequences linked to soil and water pollution. Nevertheless, research on the environmental impacts of lithium extraction still needs to be improved, highlighting the imperative for additional research. The article addresses the potential impact of the C57 lithiniferous feldspar mine on water quality, specifically focusing on surface, groundwater and spring water samples collected at the mining site and surrounding area in Gonçalo (Guarda, Portugal). The objective is to evaluate the environmental consequences of mining activities, with particular emphasis on mineral leaching. This study aims to evaluate the water quality around the C57 mine and the potential environmental impacts of mining operations. Water samples were collected from different sources, such as surface, underground, and spring waters, and chemical analyses were carried out to determine concentrations of different parameters, which were later compared with national and international reference guidelines. In addition to analysing the water samples, weathering tests were carried out using the Soxhlet extractor method to simulate the leaching of minerals over a shorter period (about 125 days). The concentrations of the analysed elements by atomic absorption spectroscopy (Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the weathering solutions were generally low and decreased throughout the testing period, with significant concentrations of aluminium and chromium exceed Canadian environmental quality guidelines for surface waters. The detected lithium concentrations are quite different, ranging from 8.7 to 19.8 μg/L in surface waters, from 6.9 to 74.1 μg/L in groundwater, and from 25.6 to 35.4 μg/L in spring waters, but are all below the US EPA (2021) recommendations threshold of 0.7 mg/L. Based on the findings, the article concludes that there is currently no clear evidence to indicate the environmental impact of mining activities on water quality in the analysed samples. However, weathering tests suggest potential long-term implications regarding the leaching of specific chemical elements, particularly aluminium and chromium.

中文翻译：

---

实验室风化研究评估葡萄牙锂矿开采对水质的影响

摘要

由于锂离子电池需求不断增长，锂矿开采对土壤和水污染造成了环境影响。尽管如此，有关锂提取对环境影响的研究仍需改进，凸显了开展额外研究的必要性。本文讨论了 C57 含石长石矿对水质的潜在影响，特别关注在贡萨洛（葡萄牙瓜尔达）矿区及周边地区采集的地表水、地下水和泉水样本。目的是评估采矿活动对环境的影响，特别是矿物浸出。本研究旨在评估 C57 矿山周围的水质以及采矿作业对环境的潜在影响。从地表水、地下水和泉水等不同来源采集水样，并进行化学分析以确定不同参数的浓度，然后与国家和国际参考指南进行比较。除了分析水样外，还使用索氏提取器方法进行风化测试，以模拟较短时期（约 125 天）内矿物质的浸出。通过原子吸收光谱分析，风化溶液中元素（Al、Ca、Cd、Cr、Cu、Fe、K、Li、Mg、Mn、Na、Ni、Pb 和 Zn）的浓度普遍较低，并且在整个过程中不断下降。测试期间，铝和铬的显着浓度超出了加拿大地表水环境质量准则。检测到的锂浓度差异较大，地表水中锂浓度为 8.7 至 19.8 μg/L，地下水为 6.9 至 74.1 μg/L，泉水为 25.6 至 35.4 μg/L，但均低于美国 EPA（ 2021）建议阈值为 0.7 mg/L。根据调查结果，文章得出的结论是，目前没有明确的证据表明采矿活动对分析样本中的水质产生环境影响。然而，风化测试表明，特定化学元素（尤其是铝和铬）的浸出具有潜在的长期影响。