METALS CONCENTRATION ASSESMENT IN SOIL AFFECTED BY RELEASE OF RED MUD IN BARCARENA IN-PA

Abstract

Barcarena-PA is located in an industrial hub for the production of alumina from bauxite by the Bayer process, generating red mud with high character caustic as waste. The red mud is stored in containment basins, open pit, severely disrupting the environment. In April 2009, due to heavy rain in the Amazon, the sump was not enough to stem the inflow of rainwater, leading to overflow of toxic waste containing large pollutants that were washed away into the environment. The goal of this study was to evaluate the presence of metals in the soil of the area affected in relation to environmental damage caused by their presence in this ecosystem. Samples were collected at three depths and quantitative determination of metals was performed by ICP OES.

Index Terms - Red Mud, elements trace, environment.