Assessment of acid-sulfate drainage in an environmental liability associated with an ancient sulfuric acid industry in a sector of the Río de la Plata coastal plain: Impacts on soil and water quality

Abstract

Environmental liabilities have become one of the most important problems at environmental level, especially those located in urban areas. Within the area of the Río de la Plata coastal plain, industrial waste abandoned by an ancient sulfuric acid industry in a sector of the petrochemical center constitutes an environmental liability composed mainly of fragments of native sulfur. The aim of this work is to evaluate, from laboratory tests, the generation of sulfate acid drainage in environmental liabilities associated with the ancient sulfuric acid industry in order to identify the waste spatial distribution and to determine the impacts that they impart on the quality of the soil and groundwater. The results obtained show that the native sulfur scattered in the environmental liability associated with the ancient sulfuric acid industry constitutes a potential source of sulfated acid drainage that locally affects the soil, groundwater, and underground structures of the industrial center, and also small adjacent ecosystems. The interaction between native sulfur and the rainwater causes the oxidation of the native sulfur releasing protons and sulfates, which reach the groundwater through the infiltration water process, generating the acidification of the environment. The results provide useful draft for the management of environmental liabilities, and also the monitoring data obtained could assist in prioritization of remediation options, which constitute a problem of relevance and whose regulations for management and mitigation are still a controversial issue.