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Integrated assessment of surface water quality and seasonal variability using CCME-WQI in a high-Andean watershed of southern Peru Arteaga, Ruby Juniors Alvarez; Berrios, Wilson Calsin; Charaja, William Santiago Palacios; Roque, Maribel Mamani; Ramirez, Alexander Aguilar; Ramirez, Johan Denis Aguilar
Journal of Degraded and Mining Lands Management Vol. 13 No. 2 (2026)
Publisher : Brawijaya University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.15243/jdmlm.2026.132.10077

Abstract

It is essential to sustain water quality to support environmental sustainability and public health, particularly in high-Andean watersheds, which are sensitive to hydrological variability. The present study is an integrated assessment of surface water quality conducted in the Ilave District of southern Peru, using the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI). Surface water quality was assessed based on the evaluation of physicochemical parameters, microbiological indicators, and concentrations of selected trace metals during contrasting dry and wet seasonal conditions and the application of the components of the CCME-WQI to assess the quality of the overall surface water. Results from this study indicate significant spatial and temporal variability in surface water quality; however, most monitoring locations were classified as having good to excellent water quality. Lower CCME-WQI index values were primarily attributed to localized microbiological contamination and higher concentrations of selected trace metals during low-flow conditions. In general, the CCME-WQI successfully integrated multi-parameter surface water quality data and identified localized degradation processes; therefore, there is a need for targeted monitoring and science-based management of water resources in areas that are subject to increasing anthropogenic pressures in high-Andean environments.
Environmental impacts and waste management strategies for hydrometallurgical lithium recovery from lepidolite in the Falchani mining area, Puno, Peru Contreras, Eliana Mullisaca; Ochoa, Benito Hugo Fernandez; Mayta, Elvis Luis Macedo; Ramirez, Johan Denis Aguilar; Ramirez, Alexander Aguilar
Journal of Degraded and Mining Lands Management Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)
Publisher : Brawijaya University

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.15243/jdmlm.2026.133.10481

Abstract

Lithium mining is expanding into remote highland areas where site-specific environmental data are scarce. This study assessed the environmental footprint of a hydrometallurgical process to extract lithium carbonate (Li?CO?) from lepidolite ore at the Falchani deposit, Puno, Peru, located above 4,500 m within puna grasslands and bofedal wetlands. The ore was characterised by XRD and ICP-MS, and process conditions were optimised using a 2??² fractional factorial design followed by steepest-ascent experiments. Environmental performance was evaluated through cradle-to-gate LCA, a closed-loop water balance, TCLP classification of solid waste, and stage-by-stage carbon footprint analysis. The optimised process achieved 94.5 ± 0.8% lithium extraction with 99.62 ± 0.04% product purity. Environmental results showed CO? emissions of 5.9 ± 0.3 kg CO? eq/kg Li?CO? (about half that of spodumene processing), freshwater consumption of 38 ± 2 m³/t (with 65% internally recycled), and 18 ± 1 t/t of solid waste meeting TCLP non-hazardous criteria with potential reuse as supplementary cementitious material. These findings indicate that, when environmentally appropriate strategies are designed prior to operation, lithium extraction from Puno pegmatites need not result in the environmental catastrophe some critics anticipate, but can instead support a balance between resource recovery and ecosystem protection in fragile high-altitude environments.