Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32033946›Full record

ArticleApplied and environmental microbiology2020

Performance of a Geosynthetic-Clay-Liner Cover System at a Cu/Zn Mine Tailings Impoundment.

Eva Pakostova, Adrienne J Schmall, Steven P Holland, Heather White, Carol J Ptacek, David W Blowes

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Applied and environmental microbiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. DiverseApplied and environmental microbiology · 2025
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Eva PakostovaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada 150560@mail.muni.cz.ORCID 0000-0003-0293-8863
Adrienne J SchmallDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
Steven P HollandDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
Heather WhiteMinistry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, Sudbury, Canada.
Carol J PtacekDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
David W BlowesDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada.
University of Waterloo · CAMinistry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The abandoned Kam Kotia Mine (Canada) is undergoing remediation. A geosynthetic-clay-liner (GCL) cover system was installed in the Northern Impounded Tailings (NIT) area in 2008 to isolate acid-generating tailings from water and oxygen and to mitigate sulfide oxidation. The cover system includes a vegetated uppermost soil layer underlain by a granular protective layer (sand), a clay moisture-retaining layer, a GCL, a granular capillary-break material (cushion sand), and a crushed waste rock-capillary break layer installed above the tailings. The goal of this study was to characterize the microbiology of the covered tailings to assess the performance of the cover system for mitigating sulfide bio-oxidation. Tailings beneath the GCL were characterized by high sulfur and low carbon content. The bulk pH of the tailings pore water was circumneutral (∼5.5 to 7.3). Total genomic DNA was extracted from 36 samples recovered from the constituent layers of the cover system and the underlying tailings and was analyzed in triplicates using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Iron-oxidizing, sulfur-oxidizing, sulfate-reducing, and aerobic heterotrophic microorganisms were enumerated by use of most probable number enumeration, which identified heterotrophs as the most numerous group of culturable microorganisms throughout the depth profile. Low relative abundances and viable counts of microorganisms that catalyze transformations of iron and sulfur in the covered tailings, compared to previous studies on unreclaimed tailings, indicate that sulfide oxidation rates have decreased due to the presence of the GCL. Characterization of the microbial community can provide a sensitive indicator for assessing the performance of remediation systems.

Indexed as

Environmental Restoration and RemediationIndustrial WasteMiningBacteriaCopperGeologic SedimentsOntarioWastewaterZincCopperIndustrial WasteWastewaterZincacid mine drainagebiodiversitybiogeochemistrygeosynthetic clay lineriron oxidizersmine wastesulfur oxidizerstailings

Identifiers

PMID32033946
PMCPMC7117929
OpenAlexW3005432164

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.