Stručni rad

Sea Beaches Near Coal Mine Water: Emphasis on Selenium

Tatjana Ivošević orcid.org/0000-0001-5140-8354 ; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Rijeka, Croatia
Bibhuranjan Nayak orcid.org/0000-0002-6698-6779 ; CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar – 751013, India
Gordana Medunić orcid.org/0000-0001-5261-3771 ; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Zagreb, Croatia *

* Dopisni autor.

Sažetak

Groundwater and surface streams draining abandoned seleniferous coal mines and ash piles are among
major causes of environmental exposure to selenium (Se). One such scenario is located on the eastern
Adriatic coastline of the Istrian Peninsula (western Croatia), where the legacy of the former Raša
coal industry is reflected in elevated levels of Se in key environmental media and biota. Selenium
in animals and humans is an essential nutrient that has a quite narrow window between deficiency
and toxicity. Geology exerts a fundamental control on the environmental Se concentrations, but
aquatic contamination with Se has gained widespread concerns because Se is derived from the largest
production activities, such as coal-fired power plants, oil refining, mining, and agriculture. Hence,
Se was periodically found to be the cause of the devastating impacts to local ecosystems. Therefore,
the objectives of this paper are as follows: 1) to provide a brief overview of coal-derived selenium
in the environment, 2) to present basic principles of selenium geochemistry entailing environmental
implications, and 3) to show variability of Se levels in ambient water samples collected by authorities
of the coal-fired power plant Plomin during the period 2013-2023 for the monitoring purposes. This
paper warrants further research of the Raša coal area which is close to beaches very popular among
tourists and locals.

Ključne riječi

Raša coal, selenium, leaching, the Adriatic Sea, mine water, contamination, monitoring

Hrčak ID:

330287

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/330287

Datum izdavanja:

9.4.2025.

Posjeta: 524 *