Trace metals exist in different forms in the sediment-water system. However, this method requires high labour and is limited to certain concentration of metals in the solution. South Africa’s geology is rich in coal and mineral reserves which contain key metals such as gold, platinum and copper. *Address all correspondence to: masindivhahangwele@gmail.com, Edited by Hosam El-Din M. Saleh and Refaat F. Aglan. Soil, water and air are the major environmental compartments which are affected by heavy metals pollution. These are made up of: the land, the water and the atmosphere of the earth; microorganisms, plant and animal life; any part or combination of the first two items on this list and the interrelationships among and between them and the physical, chemical, aesthetic and cultural properties and conditions of the foregoing that influence human health and well-being. Under different and certain environmental conditions, natural emissions of heavy metals occur. Environment can be referred to the surroundings within which humans exist. However, mining has been noted to cause inimical impacts to the human health, organisms and environment as a whole, with water resources being the most common victim of the pollution [40]. However, the above-mentioned concentrations depend on the pH of the AMD—concentrations decrease when pH increases. Adsorption is therefore not applied in a large scale of metal remediation. Thus, the main strategies of pollution control are to reduce the bioavailability, mobility, and toxicity of metals. There are several mechanisms used for the recovery of chemical components from AMD including: precipitation [35], adsorption [36], biosorption [24], ion exchange [19, 25, 26], desalination [37] and membrane filtration [38, 39]. The exposure of living organisms to toxic chemical species in AMD can also lead to nausea, diarrhoea, liver and kidney damage, dermatitis, internal haemorrhage and respiratory problems. Exposure of aquatic and terrestrial organisms to potentially toxic metals and metalloids can have devastating impacts to living organisms [44, 66, 67]. Increased scaling problems. Man's activities have disturbed the natural distribution of heavy metals in the environment on land and in rivers, lakes and seas. pH values at which metals in AMD precipitate [21]. The presence of Al, Fe, Mn and sulphates is a prime concern in addition to the trace of Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn [29]. Heavy metals in active and abandoned mines in South Africa have impacted both surface and underground water. Ingestion is the most common route of exposure in children. Adsorption occurs when an adsorbate adheres to the surface of an adsorbent. Heavy metals can be found in traces in water sources and still be very toxic and impose serious health problems to humans and other ecosystems. Organic pollution can be briefly defined as biodegradable contaminants in an environment. Increasing quantity of heavy metals in our resources is currently an area of greater concern, especially since a large number of industries are discharging their metal containing effluents into fresh water without any adequate treatment [3]. Available from: Case study of South Africa acid mine drainage, Deleterious effects of acid mine drainage on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, Prolonged exposure to aluminium has been implicated in chronic neurological disorders such as, Severe aesthetic effects (taste) and effects on plumbing (slimy coatings). This system also operates under specific temperature and pH. Due to reversibility and desorption capabilities, adsorption is regarded the most effective and economically viable option for the removal of metals from aqueous solution. Although the aforementioned heavy metals can be found in traces, they still cause serious health problems to human and other mammals [9]. When metals in AMD are hydrolysed, they lower the pH of the water making it unsuitable for aquatic organisms to thrive [52]. Heavy metals tend to bioaccumulate in plants and animals, bioconcentrate in the food chain, or … Some minerals are recovered and sold to metallurgical industries, hence off-setting the treatment costs [19]. Biological pollutants are described as pollutants which exist as a result of humanity’s actions and impact on the quality of aquatic and terrestrial environment. Slight iron overload possible in some individuals. However, when the concentration of the feed solution is very high, the process easily reaches a breakthrough, thus limiting further pollutant removal [24]. There are different types of pollutants, namely inorganic, organic and biological. Man's activities have disturbed the natural distribution of heavy metals in the environment on land and in rivers, lakes and seas. Publishing on IntechOpen allows authors to earn citations and find new collaborators, meaning more people see your work not only from your own field of study, but from other related fields too. Heavy metal (HM) contamination in agricultural soils has been a significant health concern worldwide due to their persistent and non-biodegradable nature and biomagnification to higher trophic levels. Some of metals may stay in water as free or complexed ions or adsorbed onto solids, some may incorporate within insoluble organic or inorganic matter. From such sources, inorganic pollutants are released. In order to protect the human health, plants, animals, soil and all the compartments of the environment, proper and careful attention should be given to remediation technologies of heavy metals. There are various ways through which heavy metals present risks to humans, animals, plants and ecosystems as a whole. Organic pollutants have gained attention as they have become a major problem in the environment. Contaminations in fish and food animals as well as impacts of heavy metal pollution on humans are also described. Because of the high acidity and elevated concentration of toxic and hazardous metals, AMD has been a prime issue of environmental concern that has globally raised public concern [33]. This is because the toxicity level of a metal depends on factors such as the organisms which are exposed to it, its nature, its biological role and the period at which the organisms are exposed to the metal. Natural weathering processes can lead to the release of metals from their endemic spheres to different environment compartments. This has compromised the ability of the environment to foster life and render its intrinsic values. Biosorption refers to the removal of pollutants from water systems using biological materials, and it entails the absorption, adsorption, ion exchange, surface complexation and precipitation. Heavy metals contamination is becoming a serious issue of concern around the world as it has gained momentum due to the increase in the use and processing of heavy metals during various activities to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population. Some important anthropogenic sources which significantly contribute to the heavy metal contamination in the environment include automobile exhaust which releases lead; smelting which releases arsenic, copper and zinc; insecticides which release arsenic and burning of fossil fuels which release nickel, vanadium, mercury, selenium and tin. These inorganic pollutants are being discarded in our waters, soils and into the atmosphere due to the rapidly growing agriculture and metal industries, improper waste disposal, fertilizers and pesticides. Heavy metals contain in the wastes from the illegal dumping activities can leach to the environment and not only pollute the environment but also can cause serious health hazards. Heavy metal is any metal that is toxic regardless of their density or atomic mass. Pollutants can be naturally occurring compounds or foreign matter which when in contact with the environment cause adverse changes. Food chains and food webs symbolise the relationships amongst organisms. We are a community of more than 103,000 authors and editors from 3,291 institutions spanning 160 countries, including Nobel Prize winners and some of the world’s most-cited researchers. Thus, the main strategies of pollution control are to reduce the bioavailability, mobility, and toxicity of metals. Many streams contaminated with AMD are largely devoid of life for a long way downstream. Disposal of metal ladened waste to landfills and waste retention ponds/heaps lead to secondary pollution of surface and subsurface water resources. Within the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP), emissions of heavy metals are controlled by the Amended Protocol on Heavy Metals, which requires parties to reduce emissions of selected metals to below 1990 levels. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Severe poisoning with possible fatalities. The metals considered here are cadmium, lead, and zinc; their respective mean concentrations for ten makes of tires used in the United Kingdom ranged from 0-3.0, 8.1-22.3, and 2524-6012 ppm. 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