Environmental Impacts of Mineral Exploration in Nigeria and their Phytoremediation Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystem

Authors

  • Odoh Chuks Kenneth

Keywords:

phytoremediation; sustainable ecosystem; mineral exploration; pollution; eco-mining

Abstract

Mineral exploration and processing have caused varying degree of environmental damage in Nigeria. These include alteration of ecological state, air, water, soil pollution, destruction of soil flora and fauna, loss of vegetation, landscape degradation and radiation emission. Since mineral exploration is still at the developmental state and in the hands of artisanal miners in most developing nations, the environmental impact of their ill-fated activities is inevitable. For a robust, sustainable eco-mining to be achieved, government agencies, environmentalist and industrial prospectors must take sound precautionary measures in remedying polluted sites and limiting re-introduction of hazardous material into the environment. Unlike the conventional physical and chemical remediation techniques that are uneconomical with potentials of generating large volume of chemical wastes, phytoremediation is said to be otherwise. However, as efforts are being made to minimize wastes disposal in mining industries through recycling, landfill and/or in-pit storage, scientific green-base technology such as phytoextraction, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization, rhizodegradation, phytodegradation and rhizofiltration could be adopted through legislative enactment as a requisite strategy for the return of abandoned mine sites to it aesthetic natural setting by industrialist.

How to Cite

Odoh Chuks Kenneth. (2017). Environmental Impacts of Mineral Exploration in Nigeria and their Phytoremediation Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystem. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, 17(H3), 19–27. Retrieved from https://journalofscience.org/index.php/GJSFR/article/view/2097

Environmental Impacts of Mineral Exploration in Nigeria and their Phytoremediation Strategies for Sustainable Ecosystem

Published

2017-10-15