Methodological approach to the study of the sedimentation stability of finely-dispersed mineral processing waste by satellite data on lakes pollution

Abstract

The paper presents the results of the study of sedimentation stability of suspended finely-dispersed mineral particles based on satellite observations of their aggregation and sedimentation. The authors studied satellite data on self-purification of subarctic lakes polluted by apatite-nepheline, iron, and copper-nickel ore processing wastes. The multispectral images of lakes taken by Sentinel-2 spacecraft have allowed determining the average size of suspended finely-dispersed mineral processing wastes and the density of particle size distribution. To account for aggregation, the authors have designed a computer model of the dynamics of suspended particles and have set parameters of the forces of electrostatic and dispersion interactions of mineral particles from the Kola deposits. It is shown that the balance of repulsive electrostatic and dispersion attractive forces appears in the generation of aggregates of finely-dispersed mineral particles with characteristic fractal dimension, using Nepheline, Hematite, Quartz, and Pyrite as examples. The authors have developed an algorithm for matching the computer simulation results of the dynamics of suspended particles with the results of satellite images processing of lakes. The developed methodological approach makes it possible to determine the sedimentation stability of lakes’ pollution by finedispersed mineral processing wastes without surface observations. The research results allow calculating the sedimentation velocity of mineral particles and their aggregates of a given size. The good correspondence between the calculated parameters of particles aggregation and sedimentation and satellite observations data can be used to monitor the pollution of water bodies when adapting mineral processing technologies to modern production ecologization requirements, as well as to assess the waterenvironmental potential of the territory for rational management of natural resources.