Role of Algae in Discharge from Malanjkhand Copper Mine

Abstract

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a potentially severe pollution hazard caused by mining activities and can contaminate surrounding soil, ground and surface water. The AMD effluents contain high concentration of heavy metals which are toxic to aquatic organisms. Various species of algae are the natural residents of AMD and are capable of accumulating and thereby help in removing the metal contents in the AMD affected water bodies. This study aimed at finding the metal contents in discharge from MalanjkhandCopper deposit, located in north east of Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh and to determine the efficiency of algae present in the same discharge with reference to heavy metal accumulation in their biomass. Water and algae samples were collected from the waste rock leachate near the Malanjkhand copper deposit.And were analyzed for iron, copper, zinc, nickel, lead, calcium and magnesium by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The algae samples were found to have significantly higher amount of copper, iron, nickel and zinc as compared to the water samples which indicated the accumulation of metals in algae.