Assessing impacts of iron ore exploitation on the environment in son thuy commune van ban district lao cai province

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY STUDENT THESIS Title ASSESSING IMPACTS OF IRON ORE EXPLOITATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN SON THUY CO

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY

STUDENT THESIS

Title

ASSESSING IMPACTS OF IRON ORE EXPLOITATION ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN SON THUY COMMUNE, VAN BAN

DISTRICT, LAO CAI PROVINCE

Major: Natural Resources Management Faculty: Forest Resources and Environmental Management

Student: Dang Chieu Xuan Student ID:145 309 2249 Class: K59A Natural Resources Management Course: 2014 - 2019

Advanced Education Program Developed in collaboration with Colorado State University, USA

Supervisor: Msc Nguyen Thi Bich Hao

Ha Noi, September 2018

ACKNOWLEDGE

Successful completion of any types of project requires helps from a number of people

I have also taken helps from different people for the preparation of this report Now, there is

a little effort to show my deep gratitude to those helpful people

I convey my sincere gratitude to my Academic Supervisor Msc Nguyen Thi Bich Hao, a lecturer of the department of Environmental Engineering, Vietnam National University of Forestry Without her kind direction and proper guidance this study would have been a little success In every phase of the project, her supervision and guidance shaped this report to be completed perfectly

Finally, I want to express my deep gratefulness to residents and the local authorities

of Son Thuy commune With their enthusiasm help during dust sampling, noise measurement and interviews processes, I had the opportunity to enhance my knowledge and experience about the impacts of Iron ore exploitation on the environment in Son Thuy commune From that, all of these data and information help me to complete report

Hanoi, September 28th, 2018

Student

Dang Chieu Xuan

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the situation of the environment that is impacted by Iron ore exploited activities in Son Thuy Commune, Van Ban District, Lao Cai Province The paper document studied all steps of Iron ore exploited process, from that considering some steps which generated directly dust, wastewater and noise into the environment causing serious impacts To assess the impacts of exploited activities on the air environment, the author applied taking dust sampling (qualitative method) to identify the indicator in wastewater such

as Ph, TSS, Fe, Mn and Cd, the author took the wastewater samples in Son Thuy commune and analyzed them In addition, the impacts of Iron ore exploitation also on social aspects were assessed by noise level measurement and other interview with local residents and authorities Once the pollutants have been identified, appropriate and effective recommendations should be made to improve the current social and environmental situation

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGE

ABSTRACT

CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 GOALS AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 5

2.1 Goals 5

2.2 Specific objectives 5

3 STUDY METHODS 6

3.1 Study area 6

3.2 Interview method 7

3.3 Research methods in the field 9

3.4 Analyzing method in laboratory 14

4 RESULTS 19

4.1 Current state of Iron ore exploitation in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province 19

4.2 The impacts of Iron ore exploitation of the Quy Sa mine on the environmental and social aspects of Son Thuy commune 22

4.3 Proposing solutions to enhance the efficiency at environmental management for mining Iron ore activities in Son Thuy commune 36

5 DICUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 38

5.1 Discussions and conclusions 38

5.2 Limitations and recommendations 39

REFERENCES

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 The World reserves of Iron ore in 2017, by country 1

Table 1.2 The production of some metallic minerals in the world between 2012 and 2016….2 Table 1.3 The reduction and destruction of forest due to mining in 2006 4

Table 3.1 Sampling locations 11

Table 4.1 The output of Iron ore mining and quarrying products according to the design 19

Table 4.2 Mining output of Quy Sa iron mine in recent years 20

Table 4.3 Properties of wastewater generated from exploiting Iron ore at Quy Sa mine 23

Table 4.4 The amount of dust emitted from Iron ore exploitation at Quy Sa mine 28

Table 4.5 The results of six dust samples 29

Table 4.6 The noise level is caused owing to the engine of the Iron ore trucks (dBA) 34

Table 4.7 Harms of noise having high frequency for human health 35

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 3.1 The map of Van Ban district 6

Figure 3.2 The map of Son Thuy commune 6

Figure 3.3 The map of Quy Sa Iron ore mine 7

Figure 3.4 The samples distributed in Lech village, Son Thuy commune 13

Figure 3.5 Main types of wastewater based on their sources 14

Figure 3.6 pH meter 15

Figure 4.1 Diagram of production process at Quy Sa mine 21

Figure 4.2 Temperature value of wastewater discharged from Iron ore exploitation 23

Figure 4.3 pH value of wastewater discharged from Iron ore exploitation 24

Figure 4.4 TSS value of wastewater discharged from Iron ore exploitation 24

Figure 4.5 Mn value of wastewater discharge from Iron ore exploitation 25

Figure 4.6 Fe value of wastewater discharge from Iron ore exploitation 25

Figure 4.7 Cd value of wastewater discharge from Iron ore exploitation 26

Figure 4.8 Percentage of interviewees supposed that transpoting Iron ore activities causing lanscape destruction 27

Figure 4.9 Sample 1… 30

Figure 4.10 Sample 2… 30

Figure 4.11 Sample 3 30

Figure 4.12 Sample 4 30

Figure 4.13 Sample 5 30

Figure 4.14 Sample 6… 30

Figure 4.15.Percentage of interviewees suffering from disease relating to dust generation from Iron ore transportation 32

Figure 4.16 The assessment of interviees about the impacts of Iron ore transportation on traffic activities 33

Figure 4.17 Percentage of interviewees choosing the number of average trucks passing by per day through 279 National Highway 33

1 INTRODUCTION

The state of mineral deposit

A mineral deposit (or an ore deposit) is defined as a rock body that includes one or more elements (or minerals) that are enough average crustal abundance to have potential economic value such as metallic mineral deposits (e.g., deposits of Copper, Lead, Zinc, Iron, Gold, etc.) (Kula C Misra, 2000) [18]

In terms of metallic mineral deposits, Iron ore is one of the representatives for this category Australia and Brazil are among the world’s largest Iron ore producers and possess a huge proportion of the world’s Iron ore deposits While Australia accounts for fifty percent of the world’s Iron ore exports, Brazil exported around twenty three percent of the world's total Iron exports

Table 1.1 The World reserves of Iron ore in 2017, by country [21]

Unit: Million metric tons

In terms of metallic mineral group, Vietnam has a variety of metallic minerals such as Iron, Manganese, Chromium, Titanium, Copper, Lead, and etc Among the metallic minerals

As mentioned above, Iron ore is the mineral with enormous reserves in Vietnam The Iron ore in Vietnam is distributed in three main areas, the first one is the Northwest in which mines are exploited along the Red River and its reserve is over 200 million tons The second area is the Northeast with mines in Thai Nguyen and its total deposit is about 50 million tons The last area concentrated a large amount of Iron ore in Vietnam is Ha Tinh province where Thach Khe mine located This mine’s reserves is about 554 million tons, high content of iron (60- 65%) [3]

The state of mineral exploitation

Currently, the basis for industrial development includes a number of major metals such as Iron, Copper, Aluminum, Lead, Zinc, etc In many industrialized nations, the demand for these metals accounts for 80% - 90% of the total metal used in the world The table 1.2 are some of the major metal minerals exploited in the world

In terms of metallic minerals, according to the data published by world mining where annually production of 63 mineral commodities from 168 countries are presented on the production of Bauxite, Copper, Iron and Nickel in five years is shown on table 1.2

Table 1.2 The production of some metallic minerals in the world between 2012 and 2016 [20]

Unit: metric tons

In terms of metallic minerals, in 2013, Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corp Ltd (VINACOMIN) announced the operation of the Tan Rai Alumina factory located in the Bao Lam District in Lam Dong Province In April 2014, VINACOMIN expected the Tan Rai plant reached a designed capacity of 650,000 tons annually (tons / year)

of Alumina by 2015 In 2014, the factory is estimated production from 85% to 90% of capacity According to VINACOMIN, Nhan Co that is another mine of VINACOMIN would include Bauxite and Alumina The mine was expected to have a Bauxite capacity of 1 million metric tons per year (Mt/year) and the plant would have the capacity to produce 650,000 tons/year of Alumina [14]

Benefits and impacts of mineral exploitation on Vietnam’s economy and environment Benefits from mineral exploitation on Vietnam’s economy

Annually, Vietnam’s mining industry provides about 90 million tons of limestone, 70 million m3 of common building materials, nearly 100 million m3 of construction sand, over 45 million tons of Coal, etc helping Vietnam derive certain economic benefits from these activities

- The primary benefit from mineral exploitation is a huge contribution to Vietnam’s gross domestic product According to the Vietnam General Department of Geology and Minerals, mining output (excluding oil and gas) accounts for 4-5% of total annual GDP, contributed directly to the budget from the granting of mineral mining rights, environmental protection fees from 2014 to 2017 with an average of 16-20,000 billion VND It can be said that mineral resources really become the mainstay for socio-economic development of the country in each period [1]

- Another significant contribution of mineral exploitation is creating job for a huge number of Vietnamese citizens According to draft resolution of the People's Council of Nghe

An Province on planning for exploration, exploitation and use of mineral [4], The meeting heard and commented on the draft plan for job creation for employees in 2015 until 2020 In the 2011 – 2014 period, the employments were created for 141,800 laborers It is forecasted that from now to 2020, the labor demands are about 223,350 people, with an average of 37,000 workers per year

Impacts of mineral exploitation on the environment

In additon to the benefits achieved from mineral exploitation to Vienam’s economy However, impacts of this action on the environment are becoming obvious and more serious The impacts of mining depend on many factors, including the type of mining and the size of operation It means that land is disturbed, the topography is transformed and the hydro geological conditions are affected adversely

- The mining process requires the mine opening, seam extracting, and mine closure All

these steps require the mechanical equipment or manual works on the underground to exploit the minerals Moreover, present mining of Vietnam uses a backward technology, especially the metal mining places in the mountain regions and midlands led to enormous impacts on the landscape, forest and wildlife The mineral mining has decreased the area of agricultural land and forest as well Table 1.3 shows the loss of forest area by mining in some provinces of Vietnam

Table 1.3 The reduction and destruction of forest due to mining in 2006

(ha) Destruction of land

(Source: Lac,Phan Thi 2009 [2])

- The air in mining region consisting of both surface and underground mining, and the

surrounding mining areas, is polluted by dust agents, and toxic and explosive gases To be more precise, the Cam Pha, Uong Bi Coal mine and Ha Long city had shown a high level of dust pollution The largest sources of dust releasing are the process of sorting coal and its transport

In general, the dust concentration in coal mining areas exceeds the permitted standard (or acceptable standards) from 1.2 to 5.2 times (average of 24 hour) (Thuy, Nguyen Thi Thu, 2009).[11]

- Based on information and data obtained from the Ministry of Natural Resources and

Environment, the total number of wastewater discharged from Coal mines is estimated to 38,914,075 m3 in 2009 Low pH values and high total suspended solid (TSS) are two main parameters used to assess water quality According to data collected, because of wastewater,

pH of water within and around exploitation area ranged from 3.1 to 6.5 Additionally, concentration of TSS exceeded the permitted standards from 1.7 to 2.4 times, sometimes its exceeded the standard 8.09 times The wastewater from mineral mining impacts negatively on the rivers, streams, lakes and coastal areas by changing water quantities, declining water quality and loss of aquatic resources (Thuy, Nguyen Thi Thu, 2009) [11]

The state of Iron ore deposit and exploitation in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province

Son Thuy is a mountainous commune in Van Ban district, Lao Cai province which has rich and abundant mineral resources As a result, the activities such as rock, lime and ore mining occur strongly and bring both positive and negative impacts to the environment, economy and society in this commune Particularly, Iron ore mining activities at Quy Sa mine (the second largest Iron ore mine in Vietnam) are taking place intensively and this is one of the most extremely hot and irritating issues for local people but there have been not many researches conducted in this Iron mine area (the only study related to the impacts of mining activities on the environment at Quy Sa Iron mine in Son Thuy is the master thesis of Nguyen Huy Viet) Therefore, the author decided to conduct a research at Quy Sa mine to find out the problems that are occurring and try to find the right solutions to minimize and mitigate these negative effects

2 GOALS AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

2.1 Goals

The research results contribute to enhance the effectiveness of environmental management and the quality of local citizens’ life in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province

2.2 Specific objectives

To achieve the previous goals, the thesis concentrates on the following objectives: (1) Analyzing current state of Iron ore exploitation in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province

(2) Assessing impacts of Iron ore exploitation on soil, water and air environment in the study area

- Impacts of ore exploitation on surface water quality

- Impacts of ore exploitation on soil and air quality

- Impacts of ore exploitation on social aspects

(3) Proposing solutions to enhance the efficiency at environmental management under ore exploitation in study site

is bounded by Bao Yen district in the East, Lai Chau province in the west, Yen Bai province

in the south and southeast It is estimated that there are 87,330 people live in Van Ban district, including 6,286 live in urban areas and 81,044 people live in rural areas The population consists of 11 ethnic groups, encompassing 16,043% are Kinh The road system consists of Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway with 14 km long, 279 National Highway with a length of 70

km [12]

Figure 3.1 The map of Van Ban district, [28]

Son Thuy is a commune that has an area of 5,875 thousand hectares and population of 3,018 thousand people[7] According to information collected from Van Ban wed portal in

2017, this commune has a road system including 279 National highway that is seemed as economic strength exchanges with other localities in and outside the province and 151 roads

Figure 3.2 The map of Son Thuy commune, [28]

The Quy Sa Iron ore mine is known as the second largest deposit in Vietnam located

in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district Based on information obtained from Vietnam National Institute of Mining- Metallurgy Science and Technology, it indicated that characteristics of the Quy Sa mine are a large limonite deposit, concentrated ore body, thin soil layer, easy to exploit, total reserves and resources of the mine are more than 110 million tons, Deluvi ore mixed with weathered clay, original ore is mainly goethite, some hematite and psilomelan, primary ore fraction is 2.32 tons / m3, average humidity with 17.37 ÷ 33.49% and hardness of the ore is f = 2 ÷ 3 [8]

Figure 3.3 The map of Quy Sa Iron ore mine , [28]

b The purposes of applying this method to achieve the objectives

(1) Studying current state of Iron ore exploitation in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province The Iron ore mine was chosen to be case study because of the following reasons Firstly, Van Ban district (as well as this mine) belongs Lao Cai where is the second largest province in terms of revenue from mineral resources, after Quang Ninh province Secondly, those areas are known as the main reason leading to soil, water, and air pollution as well as other social-economic issues in some recent years

of Iron ore exploitation on the community

The questionnaire was constructed into four broad sections about the current (2018) state including background information, knowledge on of Iron ore exploited processes and implications, environmental issues, awareness of soil, air and water quality and the health condition It was based on the perception levels of the residents living in the study area

b Questionnaire testing:

The test of the questionnaire was conducted randomly with 65 households living around Quy Sa Iron ore mine This test was carried out to ensure that all kinds of errors associated with survey research would be reduced as well as improve the quality of data significantly

c The purposes of applying this method to achieve the objectives

(1) Studying current state of Iron ore exploitation in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province The questions in the household survey questionnaire related to Iron ore exploitation stages

(2) Assessing the impacts of Iron ore exploitation on the environment and social aspects in the study area Whereas part A in the household survey questionnaire required the interviewees answered about landslides and erosion, part B required the interviewees answered about water quality issues In terms of part C of this questionnaire requires the interviewees answered about issues relating to air (the main cause for releasing dust, the impacts of air pollution, ) In terms of assessing social impacts of Iron ore exploitation in the study area The author asked some questions involved in local residents’ heath condition

(3) Proposing solutions to enhance the efficiency at environmental management for mining Iron ore activities in study area Base on all information related to the soil, water, and air issues obtained from interviewing, the author found out solutions for technology and management

3.2.2 Semi- structured interview

a Key Informant Interviews

This kind of interview is used to collect data that are qualitative in-depth interviews with people who know what is going on in the community The purpose of key informant interviews is to collect information from a wide range of people including community leaders, professionals, or residents who have firsthand knowledge about the community These community experts, with their particular knowledge and understanding, can provide insight on the nature of problems and give recommendations for solutions

All opened questions were constructed into four broad sections about the current (2018) state including background information, understanding of Iron ore exploited processes and implications, environmental issues, and the recommendation dealing with these problems

The test was conducted with the chairman of Son Thuy people’s committee This test was carried out to ensure that all kinds of errors associated with survey research would be reduced It also helped to improve the quality of data significantly

b Household interviews

There are five opened questions to collect more detailed information about the environmental contamination and other social problems causing serious impacts on the community.The test was conducted with 30 households living around the Quy Sa Iron ore mine This test was carried out to ensure that all kinds of errors associated with survey research would be reduced and it also helped to improve the quality of data significantly

c The purposes of applying this method to achieve the objectives:

(1) Studying current state of Iron ore exploitation and management in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province Interview questions concerned with recent Iron ore exploitation activities causing environmental problems and responds of local authorities

(2) Assessing the impacts of Iron ore exploitation on the environment and social aspects in the study area Son Thuy chairman of people’s committee answered the question involving in the state of environmental pollution Assessing social impacts of Iron ore exploitation in the study area The interviewees were given the questions about the impacts of exploitation and transportation stages on social aspects

(3) Proposing solutions to enhance the efficiency at environmental management for mining Iron ore activities in study area The chairman of people’s committee provided information about interim measures to prevent the impacts from Iron ore exploitation as well

as proposed some educational, technical and managed solutions to cope with these problems

3.3 Research methods in the field

3.3.1 Investigating the study area

b The purposes of applying this method to achieve the objectives

(1) Studying current state of Iron ore exploitation and management in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province The author will observe the Iron ore

processing stages in the Quy Sa Iron ore mine (or Vietnam- China Mineral and Metallurgical Company) by taking photos or using camera

(2) Assessing the impacts of Iron ore exploitation on the environment and social aspects in the study area The author will go to mining areas and residential areas to observe the impacts of transporting and digging on soil surface and structure as well as the processing stages discharges waste into water source At the same time the water in downstream, farming area around this mine and also the source of water that local residents use will be investigated

In addition, the author also observed the Iron ore processing stages that release a huge amount

of dust into the air In terms of assessing social impacts of Iron ore exploitation in the study area Residential areas and the Vietnam- China Mineral and Metallurgical Company will be investigated carefully in order to collect more useful information for household survey questionnaire and semi-structure interview

3.3.2 Water sampling method

To achieve the best result, it is necessary to carefully prepare required equipment and tools

a Sample containers

The containers which were used to contain selected water/wastewater samples are pure water bottles with 500 ml

b Manual sampling equipment

The simple equipment which is used to collect wastewater samples are buckets and large bottle which are tied to a long stick Volume of the bottle should not be less than 100 ml The manual sampling equipment must be made of inert material and does not affect to the later analysis

Before taking the samples, the devices must be cleaned with detergent and water, or follow the manufacture’s instruction, and finally rinse with clean water When sampling processes were complete, the author conducted rapidly temperature and pH measurement then close the bottle cap tightly and preserve by styro-foam cooler with ice

c Sampling locations

The author collected four samples from upstream, within mining area, downstream, the water source located far away from downstream from 500m to 1km (agricultural area) The number of total samples is four and those are listed on table 3.1

Table 3.1 Sampling locations

No Symbol of

o07.521

E 104o16.200’

C1: Water source located before the

Quy Sa Iron ore mine

E 104o16.354’

C4: Far away C3 from 500 m to 1km

(agricultural area)

d Sampling process

The wastewater samples were taken following the single sampling method/plan based

on the standard TCVN 5996-1995 of Vietnam - Quality of water samples- sampling instruction- guidance on sampling in rivers and streams

- Necessary tools for sampling and water samples preservation are four water bottle with 500 ml, long stick ( the length is from four to five meter), hemp string (the length is about two or three meter), adhesive tape, styrofoam cooler (ice box), ice, correction pen, notebook, GPS device, camera,…

- When taking the samples, the author needs to ensure certain requirements:

 The sample containers need to be cleaned It should not be coated by water/wastewater which will be taking, it might be afftect the future results of the analysis

 Do not disturbed the water surface

 The samples were taken should be highly representative ability

- To carry out sampling, firstly, the neck of sampling bottle and the long stick together were grabbed together and then the author used adhestive tape to fix them together for more steady After that, sampling bottle was dropped down to the sampling location (the samples should be taken at a depth from 20 cm to 30 cm comparing to the surface of water and far from the shore about 1.5m to 2m) until water was full the bottle, then pulled it up, cleaned the outside and closed the bottle cap Correction pen was used to sign the number of order, date and time of taking the samples Then the author wrote down necessary information that need

to be analyzed into the notebook Finally, the author analyzed at the scene parameters that can

be measured quickly (temperature, pH)

- In terms of preservation and transportation of samples, the author put all water samples into styro-foam cooler with ice and bring it carefully to Hanoi Institute of Science and Environment to analyze

e Storage and transportation

Because of the fact that the selected parameters cannot be measured directly at the field, the most common way to preserve water samples during is cooled to a temperature from

0o C to 4oC

The water samples ware kept in styro-foam with ice and carried carefully to the laboratory of Hanoi Institute of Science and Environment

f The purposes of applying this method to achieve the objectives

(2) Assessing the impacts of Iron ore exploitation on the environment and social aspects in the study area The water sampling helps the author investigate which water parameters exceed the National water quality standards

3.3.3 Dust sampling method

a Sampling tools

In order to take samples and maintain deposited dust, the study used sampling tools such as dust containers, sticky material, and cling wrap The containers which were used to contain deposited dust are porcelain dishes and cling wrap cover

In terms of preparing sampling containers, Vaseline with no more than 1cm thickness was hold in a container and the samples were numbered The area used to take dust samples were the one of the tray covered with evenly treated Vaseline

b Sampling locations

The study focused researching and sampling at the Quy Sa Iron ore mine (or the Vietnam-China Mineral and Metallurgical Company) and Lech village - the residential area near this company The samples will be distributed following the plot described on figure 3.4

`Figure 3.4 The samples distributed in Lech village, Son Thuy commune

The sampling tools were placed at a clear area and not cover by any buildings or trees Six samples will be set up in the residential area where nearby the Vietnam- china Mineral and Metallurgical Company as well as along two sides of 279 National highway and 151 Road

c Sampling process

Necessary tools for sampling and samples preservation were measurement dishes, cling wrap, measuring tape, correction pen, pen/pencil, notebook, GPS device, camera, etc

When taking the sampling, the author needed to ensure certain requirements:

- Do not disturb the surface

- Samples were taken should have highly representative ability

In terms of conducting sampling, the author put 6 plates of porcelain that were covered with evenly treated Vaseline into a residential area near the Iron ore mining area and along two sides of two main roads in this area where the vehicles are active strongly The distance from the source to each sample is 1 m

d The purposes of applying this method to achieve the objectives

Assessing the impacts of Iron ore exploitation on the air environment in the study area From this method, the author can observe the concentration of dust in different locations by normal eyes Therefore, the author could assess which activities releases more dust into the air

Domestic wastewater Industrial wastewater (production wastewater) Infiltration (waste) water Natural wastewater Urban wastewater

c Sampling process

Necessary tools for sampling were a measurement system consisting of a microphone, a windshield, a wire and a recorder, correction pen, pen/pencil, notebook, GPS device, camera, When taking the sampling, the author needs to ensure certain requirements:

- Before and after each measurement series, the class 1 sound calibrator compliant with IEC 60942: 2003 must be applied a microphone to test the calibration of the whole measuring system at one or more frequencies

- Measurement equipment must be checked regularly both acoustically and electrically

- Samples were taken should have highly representative ability

In terms of Conducting sampling, the noise was measured in front of a grocery and a random household located along 279 National highway at Lech village by a sound level meter

d The purposes of applying this method to achieve the objectives

(3) Assessing social impacts of Iron ore exploitation in the study area The noise data was checked and then compared with National technical regulation on noise QCVN 26:2010 about maximum allowable noise limits in normal areas

3.4 Analyzing method in laboratory

Water samplings

3.4.1 Sample treatment

According to the Decree QCVN 24:2009/BTNMT of Vietnam Environment Administration, sewage water/wastewater is water which was discharged after having used or created in a technological process They have no direct value to the previous process They also were changed their original properties Generally, wastewater is classified according to their origin

Figure 3.5 Main types of wastewater based on their sources

(QCVN 24:2009/BTNMT)

According to the classification of wastewater types, wastewater at the Quy Sa mine is considered as the industrial wastewater or production wastewater To assess water quality and wastewater pollution levels, it relies on some basic norms and limits of each indicator that comply with the Law on Environmental Protection of Vietnam or International Standards for each type of wastewater from different purposes In this research, the author choose some key indicators as follow: Temperature, pH, TSS, Fe, Mg, and Cd

a Temperature

Temperature is an essential factor that is taken into account when assessing water quality Moreover, temperature is able to impact on several parameters and change both physical and chemical water properties Water temperature should be considered when identifying such as metabolic rates and photosynthesis production, compound toxicity, dissolved oxygen and other dissolved gas concentrations, conductivity and salinity, oxidation reduction potential (ORP), pH, water density [18]

- How to measure temperature?

Water/wastewater temperature is often measured with a thermometer Currently, there are two main kinds of thermometer, analogue and digital ones In this project, the author use digital thermometer to measure temperature of wastewater samples

Firstly, wastewater samples were collected, then carefully put the ending of the thermometer into wastewater samples and waited at least two minutes until the number on the screen of the digital thermometer was stable Finally, the author wrote down the results on a notebook

Figure 3.6 pH meter

b pH

pH illustrates the acidity of water but actually measure the potential activity of hydrogen ions (H+) in water pH measurements run on a scale from 0 to 14, encompassing 7.0 considered neutral., with a pH below 7.0 is considered as acids, with a pH from 7.0 to 14.0

are considered bases All organisms are effected by the amount of acidity of stream water and can be active best within a given range [25]

- How to measure pH?

The author did the same way with temperature measurement

c TSS (Total Suspended solid)

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) can consist of quantities of materials, such as silt, decaying plant and animal matter, industrial wastes, and sewage A variety of stream health and marine life problems can be caused by high concentrations of suspended solids High TSS can prevent light from reaching submerged vegetation As a consequence, the quantity of light passing through water is declined, photosynthesis slows down Therefore, less dissolved oxygen can be released into the water by plants Beside, Low dissolved oxygen is responsible for fish death High TSS can also cause an increase in surface water temperature, because the suspended particles absorb heat from sunlight [16]

- How to measure TSS?

The wastewater samples of TSS were measured by TCVN 6625:2000 (Determination suspended solids (TSS) by filtration through glass-fibre filters) [10] The suspened solids content ρ, in milligrams per liter, is calculated by the equation:

In which:

b is the mass of the filter after filtration, in milligrams;

a is the mass of the filter before filtration, in milligrams;

V is the sample volume, in milliliters If the sample is weighed, 1 g is considered

equivalent to 1 ml The detail of TSS proceedings is included in the appendix 04 of the report

d Iron (Fe)

Iron in water may be existed in different quantities depending on both the geological characteristics and other chemical components of the waterway Two types of ions concerned

in marine environment are Ferrous Fe++ and ferric Fe+++ The ferrous form Fe++ can persist

in water void of dissolved oxygen and frequently discharged from underground or mines Iron

in domestic water supply systems stains laundry and porcelain It is more annoying than a risk for health The taste level of the iron in water is 0.1 mg/l for ferrous iron and 0.2 mg/l ferric while the figure for industrial processes occasionally includes less than 0.2 mg / l of iron The current aquatic life standard is 1.0 mg / l based on the toxic effects [24]

- How to measure Fe?

The wastewater samples of Fe were measured by TCVN 6177: 1996 (Determination of iron- Spectrometric method using 1.10- phenantrolin) [9] The amount of Fe in wastewater samples was calculated as following:

A1 F (A1- A0)

In which:

F is the slope of the corresponding standard curve

A1 is the absorbance of the test solution

A0 is the absorbance of the white test solution

The detail of Fe proceedings is included in the appendix 05 of the report

e Manganese (Mn)

Manganese is a mineral that forms naturally in rocks and soil and may be created due to underground pollution sources Manganese is hardly found alone in a water supply It is usually found in iron-bearing waters however it is more rare than iron Basically, it can be seen as a close relative of iron because it forms much the same as iron When manganese is existed in water, it will be as annoying as iron In low concentrations, it produces extremely nasty stains

on everything that is contacted Pipelines, and tap water may encompass black sediment and turbidity because of accumulative manganese (Lawence K Wang et al.,2009) [15]

- How to measure Mn?

The wastewater samples of Mn were measured by TCVN 6002:1995 (Determination

of manganese - Formaldoxime spectrometric method) [8] The concentration of manganese, CMn calculated in mg / l, is calculated by the formula:

A1 is the absorbance of the sample solution to be analyzed;

A0 is the extrapolation absorption of the "no" component;

g is a coefficient calculated according to the formula:

V1 is the volume of the test portion, ml (here is 50 ml);

V2 is the volume of sample taken, then diluted to 50 ml if present

The detail of Mn proceedings is included in the appendix 06 of the report

f Cadmium (Cd)

Cadmium is a metal found in natural reserve The fundamental applications of cadmium are for metal plating and coating operations, consisting of transportation equipment, machinery and baking enamels, photography, television phosphors It is also applied in

2

1

V V

g 

nickel-cadmium and solar batteries and in pigments According to EPA, the impacts of cadmium in short term are potentially lead to the health problems when people are exposed to this substance at levels above the MCL for relatively short periods of time such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, salivation, sensory disturbances, liver injury, convulsions, shock and renal failure In terms of long-term effects, cadmium offer a contribution to the potential diseases such as kidney, liver, bone and blood damage (Lawence K Wang et al.,2009) [19]

- How to measure Cd?

The wastewater samples of Cd were measured by EPA METHOD 200.8 (Determination of Trace Elements in Waters and Wastes by Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry) [22] The concentration of Cadmium is calculated by the formula:

The detail of Cd proceedings is included in the appendix 07 of the report

3.4.2 The purposes of applying this method to achieve the objectives:

(2) Assessing the impacts of Iron ore exploitation on the environment and social

Decree QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT of Vietnam Environment Administration, sewage water/wastewater

(3) Proposing solutions to enhance the efficiency at environmental management for

standard, some technical and managed solutions will be proposed to solve this problem

4 RESULTS

4.1 Current state of Iron ore exploitation in Son Thuy commune, Van Ban district, Lao Cai province

4.1.1 Iron ore exploited state in Son Thuy commune

In terms of geographical characteristics of the mining area, the area of 1100 hectares is limited by Ba Tam mountain in the North, Thien Phung village and Giay factory in the East and Northeast, as well as Khe Hong and Mo Da village of Son Thuy commune are bordered

on the west

Mining situation and output of mining Iron ore in Quy Sa mine:

 The Iron ore mining capacity of Quy Sa must be met for three parties including Dai Long Metallurgical factory, Thai Nguyen Iron and Seel factory and Con Minh Iron and Steel Group (China) According to the cooperation signed between the three companies, the mining capacity of the mine is estimated 3,000,000 tons per year

Acording to the production report of Viet Trung Mineral & Metallurgy Company in 2006, the mining capacity of the Quy Sa Iron mine is implemented in 2 phases:

Phase 1 (1-3 years): 1.500.000 tons/year

Phase 2 (after 3 years): New mines increase productivity by 1.5 million tons per year

Table 4.1 The output of Iron ore mining and quarrying products according to the design

(Source: Production report - Viet Trung Mineral & Metallurgy Company,2006)

 Viet Trung Mineral and Metallurgical Company has been operating at the mine since

2007 up to now, from 2012 to 2018 (31 June,2018) the volume of ore mining achieved as table 4.2

Table 4.2 Mining output of the Quy Sa Iron mine in recent years

(Source: Production report - Viet Trung Mineral & Metallurgy Company,2018)

4.1.2 The process of exploiting Iron ore in Quy Sa mine

a The process of exploitation

The Quy Sa Iron mine is exploited by open method with exploitation steps consisting

of drilling blasting, shoveling, and transporting to the workshop and consumption Diagrams

of mine production processes and underlying environmental factors are presented on diagram 4.1

Figure 4.1.Diagram of production process at Quy Sa iron mine

b Transportation process:

- In terms of transportation system, the Quy Sa mine applies the method of transportation using trucks 7548D type 42 tons to transport rocks and ore Each floor has a fixed route outside the mining floor and one from the waste disposal site in the West and East that go straight to the waste disposal site, washing, and grinding workshop

- In terms of internal transport at Quy Sa mine, the main activities are transportation raw ore, waste rock, production materials In addition to soil and rock transportation, from opening to the dumping ground, the average distance is 500m, the trucks used are 7548D type

42 tons When transporting explosive materials, the distance from explosive storage to the construction site is 3.5 km so the mining workers use a special truck to transport

- External transportation of the Quy Sa mine mainly used for ore transportation and material production Near the mine, there are available roads so the mode of transportation is mainly by truck, manual loading is able to meet the immediate transport requirements for the mine

Striped soil cover

4.2 The impacts of Iron ore exploitation of the Quy Sa mine on the environment and social aspects of Son Thuy commune

The process of mineral mining frequently undergoes three steps encompassing mine opening, mining and mine closure Therefore, all these stages of exploitation affect natural resources and the environment Firstly, major mining operations alter the surface of the land through drilling, blasting, rock excavation to extract ore deposits deep in the ground leading

to land degradation and deformation Secondly, wastes and wastewater from machinery are used for mining activities that contain many heavy metals and other toxic substances (organic matter, grease, phenol, etc.) becoming the main source of surface and underground water pollution around mining areas Finally, Iron ore exploitation has caused the air pollution (due

to emissions and dust from drilling operations, excavation, loading, transportation .) affecting both the environment and the health of residents living around mining areas

4.2.1 The impacts of Iron ore exploitation on surface water

a Sources of wastewater discharged from Iron ore exploitation activities at the Quy Sa mine

There are two types of wastewater that discharged into the environment at the Quy Sa mine, consisting of domestic and industrial wastewater

In terms of industrial wastewater, the source of sewage is the amount of wastewater generated by the production process such as the ore sorting process, rainwater runoff and water used to control dust in the ore processing areas, drilling area etc The composition of the pollutants in the mine wastewater is suspended solids, oil and grease caused by the operation of mechanical splash equipment In terms of domestic wastewater, the main source

of wastewater is responsible for staff working in offices and mines, containing biodegradable organic matter, suspended solids, microorganisms, etc

b Results of analyzing water samples

As being mentioned in part 3.3.2, water samples were taken in four locations, consisting

of upstream, within mining area, downstream, the water source located far away downstream location from 500m to 1km (agricultural area) Analyzing results are shown on Table 4.5

Table 4.3 Properties of wastewater generated from exploiting Iron ore at Quy Sa mine

( o C) pH

TSS (mg/l)

Mn (mg/l)

Fe (mg/l)

Cd (mg/l)

b1 Temperature

Figure 4.2 Temperature value of wastewater discharged from Iron ore exploitation

Base on the graph, it can be seen that temperature of wastewater sample 2 and 3 from mining area and downstream are quite similar, nearly 30oC The lowest temperature is 29,2oC and the highest one is 30,2oC In addition, all values are within permitted range and have not reached the threshold

QCVN 40:2011/BTMT

b2 pH

Figure 4.3 pH value of wastewater discharged from Iron ore exploitation

Through the graph 4.3, it indicates that there is no great difference between the pH values of the four wastewater samples including the lowest pH value is 6,4 and the highest one is 6,8 To conclude, all values are within permitted range and have not reached the threshold

b3 Total suspended solid (TSS)

Figure 4.4 TSS value of wastewater discharged from Iron ore exploitation

The graph 4.4 illustrates the amount of TTS contains in wastewater in four samples While the finger for the sample 1, 2 and 3 are 3 mg/l, 22 mg/l and 12 mg/l respectively and the value of three samples are all under the QCVN 40:2011/BTMT, the sample 4 is recorded for 88 mg/l that higher than the standard 38 mg/l

b4 Mn (manganese)

Figure 4.5 Mn value of wastewater discharge from Iron ore exploitation

Looking at the graph 4.5, it can be seen that the majority of Mn value of wastewater samples are smaller than the QCVN 40:2011/BTMT standard including sample 1,2 and 3 are 0,1 mg/l, 0,5 mg/l and 0,6 mg/l respectively Excepting the sample 4 which is above the threshold and

is larger than the standard 4 times (the sample 4 value is 4,27 mg/l) The high concentration of TSS in agricultural area shows that a large amount of domestic and industrial wastes discharged from mining area accumulated in downstream area

b5 Iron (Fe)

Figure 4.6 Fe value of wastewater discharge from Iron ore exploitation

Base the graph 4.6, In general these four samples are within permitted range and have not reached the threshold Specifically, sample 4 is still the highest one (0,15 mg/l) among these four samples while the lowest one is the sample 1, recorded for 0,01 mg/l This proves that the amount of iron discharged from the ore mining area goes to downstream and deposited in there

4,27

Mn (mg/l)

b6 Cadmium (Cd)

Figure 4.7 Cd value of wastewater discharge from Iron ore exploitation

As can be seen on the graph 4.7, the amount of cadmium in all four wastewater samples

is negligible In other words, these amount exists in all four sample are extremely small In this case, sample 4 contains the smallest amount of cadmium, only 0,0002 mg/l while the wastewater sample 1,2, and 3 record the amount of cadmium are 0,004 mg/l, 0,002 mg/l and 0,002 mg/l respectively The cadmium concentration in water sample 4 is the lowest because it

is an element that can be absorbed in rice (sample 4 was taken in the rice production area)

4.2.2 Impacts of ore exploitation on soil and air quality

4.2.2.1 Impacts of ore exploitation on soil quality

a Exploitation activities that bring adverse impacts on soil at the Quy Sa mine

Stripped soil method is applied during exploitation process and this is also the main drive causing negative effects on soil layers Specifically, ore rock at the mining area includes layers of soil, ore (Deluvi, Geothite), soft soil that can be dumped directly into the vehicles without blasting In terms of hard rock ore, that type of ore is difficult to load directly so a machine is used to break it into small pieces then piled up and an excavator is used to transfer this amount of hard rock ore into trucks In terms of hard Goethite, the company used KY-200 drilling holes then blasts and use an excavator to transfer into the trucks

Selected equipment is used during applying stripped soil method:

 The first one is explosive drilling equipment According to the classification of geological rock group, the ore rock in this mine selects KY-200 drilling type as drilling equipment

 The second one is explosion, a BCRH explosive-loading machine is chosen with appropriate detonators

 The last one is excavating, two excavators 4m3

are used for the first phase and four machines are used for the full capacity period

b Assessing the impacts of Iron ore exploitation on the soil environment

According to the residential survey used the questionnaires that were answered by 37 households living in two km around the Quy Sa mine, the interview results illustrate that 100 percentage of the citizens answered that there are no landslides and erosion occurring around mining area in recent years However, damaged roads caused by heavy trucks that transport mining products are easily recognized Additionally, local people also blamed the landscapedestruction caused by the mining activities and their opinions about this problems are shown

on the figure 4.8

Figure 4.8 Percentage of interviewees supposed that transporting Iron ore activities

causing landscapes destruction

Although the soil environment is quite good buffering and less strongly influenced by pollutants, it is more likely to accumulate pollutants over time Land-polluting factors include solid waste (rock waste, coal dust, industrial waste, etc.) that is the main source of soil pollution In addition, the soil environment is affected by air and water pollutants as well as pollutants on the air combining with rain and pollutants in contaminated underground water are responsible for soil degradation

4.2.2.1 Impacts of ore exploitation on air quality

a Sources of dust generated from Iron ore exploitation activities at the Quy Sa mine

There are four main sources of dust from exploiting ore iron at the Quy Sa mine including blasting, grinding and screening Iron ore, Iron ore and waste of rock transportation According to the environmental report of Viet - Trung Mineral & Metallurgy Company in

2017, quantity of dust produced by four steps is presented on table 4.3

Table 4.4 The amount of dust emitted from Iron ore exploitation at Quy Sa mine

No

Sources Weight (tons/year) Coefficient

(kg/ton)

Dust emission (tons/year)

(Source: Environmental report - Viet Trung Mineral & Metallurgy Company,2017)

Although there are four main sources of dust from exploiting ore at the Quy Sa mine, transporting Iron ore and waste of rock are the most polluted sources The operation of transporting vehicles generated a huge number of dust from combustion processes of the engines The types of gas emission through these processes are usually SO2, NO x, CO The amount of ash and dust emissions depend on the quantity, capacity and amount of fuel consumed

b The results from dust sampling method:

Table 4.5 The results of six dust samples

No The experimental

results

Sample coordinates Location description

dust on the plate

dust on the plate

N 22o07.969’

E 104o16.932’

Khe Lech bridge where all ore trucks pass by everyday (located 1 km far away from Quy Sa mine)

dust on the plate

N 22o08.309’

E 104o16.884’

A residential house that 2 km far away from Quy Sa mine)

dust on the plate

A very layer of dust on

the plate ( is not thick

as the sample 3,4 and 5)

- Six photos from six dust samples:

According to the table 4.4, the author indicated that sample 3, 4, and 5 had the thickest layer of dust sticking on the plate and the sample 6 also obtained a large number of dust on the plate surface but it is not as thick as the samples 3, 4, and 5 In the case of sample 1, it had very thin layer of dust on the dish and the sample 2, it also had a thin layer of dust However, from observing, the sample 2 was still thicker than the sample 1

- The results can be explained as below:

 The sample 1: There was almost no dust on this sample plate because the garage located farly from Quy Sa mine and mostly motorbike moves around the area as well