Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 5617, 78857890. The geochemistry of acid mine drainage request pdf. Process of acid mine drainage geochemical and microbial reactions during weathering of sulfide minerals pyrite in coal, refuse, or mine overburden oxidation of sulfide minerals in the presence of air, water, and bacteria formation of sulfuric acid and increase in acidity solubilization of metals due to low ph 5. Geological survey editorial standards and stratigraphic nomenclature. Study of inorganic pollutants removal from acid mine.
The acid runoff further dissolves heavy metals such as copper, lead, and mercury into groundwater or surface water. Largescale coal mining started in the deckers creek watershed at the turn of the twentieth century. Thanks to the international veolia group, veolia water technologies south africa is able to supply a costcompetitive acid mine drainage treatment system that can reduce the impact of mining on the environment. Development of an ree recovery industry around pre and postlaw mines will incentivize capture of these drainage sources, treatment of amd and discharge of clean water. Extraction and beneficiation operations associated with mining activity increase the rate of these same chemical reactions by exposing large volumes of sulfide. Geologic units containing potentially significant acid. Usda is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Acid mine drainage amd is produced when sulfidebearing material is exposed to oxygen and water. The acid mine drainage may also contain high amounts of co2 which forms carbonic acid and further depresses the ph.
Because the chemistry of water samples can rapidly change if removed from the mine, many mine drainage measurements are made in the field. In summary, the influx of acid mine drainage into streams can severely degrade both habitat and water quality. An introduction to acid mine drainage wv department of. Geochemistry of acid mine drainage from a coal mining. January 1996 acid mine drainage is a common problem in many parts of the country, originating from hardrock mines, strip mines or tailing piles. Treatment of acid mine lakes tu bergakademie freiberg.
Acid mine drainage solutions for the mineral industry. Manalta coal ltds proposed openpit telkwa mine near smithers telkwa. Problems that can be associated with mine drainage include contaminated drinking water, disrupted growth and reproduction of aquatic plants and animals, and the corroding effects of the acid on parts of infrastructures such as bridges. In a nutshell, acid mine drainage is a form of water pollution that happens when rain, runoff, or streams come in contact with rock that is rich in sulfur.
The first measurement typically looks at acidity, which is. This paper describes acid mine drainage amd generation and its associated technical issues. Acid mine drainage amd refers to the outflow of acidic water. Research efforts have proceeded recently through the acid drainage technology initiative. Acid mine drainage amd is mining wastewater generated when the sulfide how to cite this paper. As amd is recognized as one of the more serious environmental problems in the mining industry, its causes, prediction and treatment have become the focus of a number of research initiatives commissioned by governments, the mining industry, universities and research establishments, with additional. American recovery and reinvestment act of 2009 arra. Acid mine drainage formation and chemistry today acid mine drainage is a fairly well understood phenomenon. It often produces an environment devoid of most aquatic life and unfit for desired uses.
The acid runoff further dissolves heavy metals such as copper, lead, and mercury into groundwater or. The rates of chemical reactions equations 2, 3, and. Environmental assessment of acid mine drainage pollution. Reducing acid mine drainage amd in deckers creek nrcs. Acid mine drainage mines built as early as the 1800s were developed in a manner which utilized gravity drainage, to avoid excessive water accumulation in the mines as a result, water polluted by acid, iron, sulfur and aluminum drained away from the mines and into streams results of acid mine drainage. Mine drainage is formed when pyrite an iron sulfide is exposed and reacts with air and water to form sulfuric acid and dissolved iron. Commonly referred to as acid rock drainage ard or acid mine drainage amd, acid drainage from mine waste rock, tailings, and mine structures such as pits and underground workings is primarily a function of the mineralogy of the rock material and the availability of water and oxygen. What is acid mine drainage amd, why is it such a serious threat to south africa and more importantly why has been it been silenced and kept under wraps by the mining industry and south african government for so long. Acid rock drainage ard is produced by the oxidation of sulfide minerals.
Acid mine drainage amd is typically characterized by low ph and high dissolved iron. The rate and degree by which acid mine drainage proceeds can be increased by the action of certain bacteria. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution. It is primarily a legacy issue resulting from the days of coal mining when problems of this nature were. This occurs along outcrops or scree slopes where sulfidebearing rock is naturally weathered. There are four chemical reactions that represent the chemistry of pyrite weathering to form acid mine. Passive remediation of acid mine drainage using ball. Some or all of this iron can precipitate to form the red, orange, or yellow sediments in the bottom of streams containing mine drainage.
Acid mine drainage an overview sciencedirect topics. Acid mine drainage overview acid rock drainage ard is produced by the oxidation of sulfide minerals, chiefly iron pyrite or iron disulfide fes2. The chemistry of the rock between the coals is poorly understood, but the presence of acid mine drainage from more than a century of mining indicates that the potential for acid drainage exists and caution should be exercised when excavating. Mine drainage is metalrich water formed from a chemical reaction between water and rocks containing sulfurbearing minerals. Acid mine drainage is the second most important source of stream impairment in the appalachian basin. Introduction the mining of coal deposits and metal ores often results in a phenomenon called acid mine drainage amd. In examining this table, it is important to note that diffusion of oxygen into water is slow and, therefore, oxidation of iron sulfide is inhibited until the water level drops, which can occur periodically or seasonally in some cases. Most discussions on acid mine drainage refer to the physical process of oxidation while the role of microorganisms is left unnoticed. Acid mine drainage patagonia area resource alliance. Understanding mine water treatment mine water, acid mine drainage and ochre as coal mining in the uk has reduced, some arrangements to pump water out of the mines have stopped. The rate and degree by which acidmine drainage proceeds can be. Characterization of acid mine drainage at the holden mine, chelan county, washington by i. The sulfide minerals oxidize in the presence of water.
Acid mine drainage amd is currently the main pollutant of surface water in the. As a result, the water becomes very acidic and damages downstream aquatic ecosystems. Acid problems can occur when pyritic coal associated rocks are disturbed. To save the pdf file to disk, rightclick on the link above and choose save link as. This may be the biggest challenge of all the unknown. Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by crossref and updated daily. Pdf acid mine drainage formation, control and treatment. Although acid mine drainage is the most common impact of mining on water quality, the variety of mineral geology is such that there is no singlecharacteristic mine water. This results primarily from the oxidative breakdown of transition metal sulfides, especially pyrite fes 2. This is a natural chemical reaction which can proceed when minerals are exposed to air and water. The microbiology of acid mine drainage by jim taylor, p. Pdf acid mine drainage control and treatment researchgate. Acid mine drainage amd is the flow, or seepage, of polluted water from old mining areas.
The life cycle of acid mine drainage copper ore from arizona concentrating ground up rock is mixed with water, air bubbles and small amounts of chemicals. Under normal circumstances the pyrite may well be exposed to both of these because it is on the. Fundamentals of minedrainage formation and chemistry. A complex series of chemical weathering reactions are spontaneously initiated when surface mining activities expose spoil. Since normal acid rain is formed via combustion of fossil fuels, the sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are all in the gas phase, whereas in. Acid mine drainage american society of mining and reclamation. Acid mine drainage prevention and control options 601 prediction of performance the performance of the designed or selected options compared to the adopted standards is predicted by applying appropriate engineering techniques e. Chemical composition of the acid mine lake water 112007. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. The severity and extent of damage depend upon a variety of factors in cluding the frequency, volume, and chemical nature of. Treating acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in remote areas john j. The chemistry of oxidation of pyrites, the production of. Since the passage of smcra in 1977, coal mine operators.
Waterquality criteria for some metals are hardnessdependent. Characterization of acid mine drainage at the holden mine. Hardness is the concentration of divalent cations e. Geochemistry of acid mine drainage from a coal mining area. Acid rock drainage and acid mine drainage acid rock drainage ard is a natural process in which sulfuric acid is produced when sulfides in rocksfor example, pyrite fes 2 are exposed to air and water. Effect of acid mine drainage on aquatic resources once acid drainage is created, metals are released into the surrounding environment, and become readily available to biological organisms. In general, a larger influence of mining activities on the chemical composition of the surface waters and sediments was. Reducing acid mine drainage amd in deckers creek west virginia success story reducing acid mine drainage amd in deckers creek. Acid mine drainage research acid mine drainage amd has been the subject of intensive research since the 1960s.
There is actually a complex series of reactions and side reactions, but the net equation is often written according to equation 1. Acid drainage influence on the water and sediment quality was investigated in a coal mining area southern brazil. Recovery of rare earth elements rees from coal mine drainage. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 5617 78857890. Acid mine drainage in south africa has become a major concern for the countrys water infrastructure over recent years. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days. Pyrite oxidation produces extremely acidic drainages as low as ph 2 enriched with fe, mn, al, so4, and often heavy metals such as pb, hg, cd, etc. Acid mine drainage amd forms when sulfide m inerals are exposed to oxidizing conditions in coal and metal mining, highway construction, and other largescale excavations. Design and evaluation of an acid leachingsolvent extraction process to extract rare earth elements from acid mine drainage precipitates paul ziemkiewicz, chris vass wv water research inst. The production of amd usually but not exclusively occurs in iron sulfideaggregated rocks. Guideline document for monitoring acid mine drainage mend project 4. Effective treatment options for acid mine drainage in the. Acid mine drainage prediction compares acid rock drainage factors of waste rock piles and tailings impoundments. Mcsurdy department of energy pittsburgh research center p.
Study of inorganic pollutants removal from acid mine drainage by hemp hurds. Acid mine drainage effects, types, plants, marine, oxygen. The chemistry of the water emanating from the backfill will reflect only the rock. Mining and water pollution issues return acid mine drainage amd is the biggest environmental threat from mining in. This has allowed iron, found in the rocks within mine workings, to mix with underground water. The chemicals allow copper minerals to rise to the top and stick to. However, acid mine drainage eventually leaves its mark. The term mineimpacted water is used because it is more inclusive than terms such as acid mine drainage amd or. In some regions, it is the most common form of stream and river pollution. Guideline document for monitoring acid mine drainage. To file a complaint of discrimination, write usda, director, office of civil rights, room 326w, whitten building, 14th and independence avenue, sw, washington, dc 202509410 or call 202 7205964 voice or tdd. Acid mine drainage may form within mine wastes tailings and rock dumps that are impacted with surface water or in underground workings groundwater, and its production can continue long after. Article views are the countercompliant sum of full text article downloads since november 2008 both pdf and html across all institutions and individuals. Acid mine drainage the chemistry csir research space.
Environmental science and technology 2007, 41, 23 pp81498153. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here. Science report abandoned mines and the water environment iii. Sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive chemical, used in many industrial. Most of the abandoned deep mines along deckers creek produce acid drainage. Treating acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in. You can see from equation 1 that in order for these reactions to happen, the pyrite must be exposed to both air and mining is one of south africas most important industries, but it comes with a cost.
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