15 Jan, 2025
Case Study: Salt Chuck Mine Intertidal Sediment Remediation
Case Study: Salt Chuck Mine Intertidal Sediment Remediation
Using biochar to mitigate copper contamination and restore ecosystem health in southeast Alaska
A former copper, gold, palladium, and silver mine in southeast Alaska (Prince of Wales Island), is on the Superfund National Priority List site and contains a significant amount of metals contamination in an intertidal zone. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) goal was to reduce bioavailable copper found in the intertidal area because high copper concentrations were adversely impacting the benthic invertebrate community. To treat the contamination, EPA researchers used biochar to amend the intertidal sediments near the mine. This study is still in process.
Results:
Results showed that the 2.5% biochar treatment increased worm survival by over 90% and the 5% treatment increased survival even more, compared to near 0% survival in the untreated contaminated sediment collected from the flat closest to the mine. Monitoring of pore water Cu concentrations continues and results will be used by Region 10 EPA to inform a larger site-wide clean-up program of the 97 acres of contaminated intertidal sediments downstream from the mine.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Salt Chuck Mine, AK https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/epa-research-field-cleaning-muck-salt-chuck