CONTAMINATION AND POLLUTANT ATTENUATION DOWNSTREAM OF THE KOLONTÁR RED MUD IMPOUNDMENT FAILURE, HUNGARY

2010年10月初，匈牙利Kolontár的一座含有赤泥的大坝决口造成的重大污染事件引起了国际媒体的广泛关注。这是欧洲第一次举办这一类型和规模的活动。虽然曾经发生过存放矿山废物的水坝坍塌的类似事件，这些水坝往往是酸性的或富含氰化物和生态有毒金属，但以前没有记录过像科隆塔尔那样大规模释放极碱性废物的情况。该地点的初步环境监测重点是高度碱性(PH值高达13)的水对接收溪流的直接影响，这对50多英里内的河流生物产生了重大影响。除了这种短期影响之外，鉴于此类事件缺乏先例，我们对赤泥中释放的潜在污染物的长期行为知之甚少。在受到赤泥高碱性水影响的其他地点(尽管规模小得多)，这种令人担忧的污染物包括铝、砷、钼和钒。这项研究的目的是对泄漏下游的沉积物和水域进行详细分析，以评估这些污染物和其他微量污染物的性质和形式。这些信息对于(A)描述污染区域的空间范围和严重程度，(B)评估具有环境意义的水域和沉积物中存在哪些特定污染物，以及(C)了解科隆塔尔下游河流系统中痕量元素的流动性和有效性的长期前景至关重要。将对马尔卡河、拉巴河和莫索尼-杜纳河受影响地区污染物的不同阶段(例如，悬浮在水中、溶解在水中、在河床上沉淀)进行详细采样。现场采样将与对污泥中污染物的流动性进行实验室测试相结合。总之，这些数据将帮助我们了解污染物在性质和形式上的空间趋势，以及关键变量，如pH值和释放物质的颗粒尺寸分布可能如何影响它们在环境中的长期流动性。这项工作将与匈牙利的科学家联系进行，工作的结果将直接为污染泄漏的长期管理提供信息。除了与匈牙利的情况管理直接相关外，更好地了解腐蚀性废料产生的微量污染物在发生这种重大事件后在环境中的表现，将有助于向其他受污染地点的环境管理提供信息。

The major pollution event caused by the breach of a dam containing red mud (a by-product of bauxite ore processing for alumina manufacture) at Kolontár in Hungary received widespread international media attention in early October 2010. This is the first event of its type and scale in Europe. While there have been similar events where dams holding mine wastes have failed, which are often acidic or rich in cyanide and ecotoxic metals, there have not previously been documented large scale releases of waste material with the extremely alkaline nature such as that released at Kolontár. Initial environmental monitoring at the site was focussed on the immediate impacts of the hyperalkaline (pH up to 13) water on the receiving streams, which had a major effect on instream organisms for over 50 miles. Beyond this short-term impact and given the lack of precedent for such events, we know relatively little about the longer-term behaviour of the potential contaminants released in the red mud. At other sites affected by hyperalkaline waters from red mud (albeit on a far smaller scale), such contaminants of concern include aluminium, arsenic, molybdenum and vanadium. This study aims to undertake a detailed analysis of the sediments and waters downstream of the spill to assess the nature and form of these, and other trace contaminants. This information is crucial to (a) characterise the spatial extent and severity of the polluted area, (b) assess which specific contaminants are present in the waters and sediments at levels of environmental significance and (c) understand the long-term prospects for mobility and availability of trace elements in the river systems downstream of Kolontár. Detailed sampling of the different phases (e.g. suspended in water, dissolved in water, settled on streambed) of contaminants along the impacted areas of the Marcal, Raba and Mosoni-Duna rivers will be undertaken. The field sampling will be coupled with laboratory tests on the mobility of contaminants in the sludge. Together, these data will help us understand the spatial trends in nature and form of contaminants and how key variables such as pH and the particle size distribution of the released materials are likely to affect their long term mobility in the environment. The work will be undertaken in liaison with scientists in Hungary and the outputs of the work will directly inform long-term management of the pollution spill. Beyond the direct relevance to management of the situation in Hungary, the improved understanding on how trace contaminants from caustic waste materials behave in the environment after such a major event will be useful for informing environmental management at other polluted sites.