Wildeman billings symposium asmr annual meeting assessing the toxicity potential of mine waste piles workshop june 1, 2003 u. Hence, implementations of effective postmining management practices are necessary to. This has allowed iron, found in the rocks within mine workings, to mix with underground water. 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. Effective treatment options for acid mine drainage in the. Researchsuggeststhatnatural andor constructed wetlands may play a valuablerolein floodflowmoderation, sediment retention and stabilization, and waste water treatment while. Abandoned mine drainage typically originates in surface mines, deep mines, and gob piles. In conventional mine drainage treatment systems, the water is treated with additions of highly alkaline chemicals such as naoh, caoh2, cao, na2co3, or nh3 skousen et al. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution to a. Active treatment of mine drainage requires precipitating metal contaminants from the water and neutralizing acidity hedin and others 1994. The origin of acidic metalrich mine drainage waters has been described in detail elsewhere e. Acid mine drainage treatment with open limestone channels paul f.
Treatment of amd to eliminate three discharges from the. Johnson sl and wright ah 2003 mine void water resource issues in western australia, water and rivers commission. This paper describes acid mine drainage amd generation and its associated technical issues. Constructed wetlands for treating acid mine drainage.
Manganese is a common component of both neutral and acid mine drainage. 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. Treating acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in. 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. To file a complaint of discrimination, write usda, director, office of civil rights. The iron in the water stream is in soluble form known as ferrous iron fe2. Once produced, amd can severely impact the surrounding ecosystem due to its acidity, metal toxicity, sedimentation and other deleterious properties. Acid mine drainage will continue to be a problem in the future and treatment technologies will be important for everything from the health of the stream. Techniques to correct and prevent acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage abatement and treatment plans odnr mineral.
Acid mine drainage will continue to be a problem in the future and treatment technologies will be important for everything from the health of the stream and wildlife in it, to human health of those near that water. Equipment for application and reagent costs are expensive when considered over 10 to 20 years of water treatment. This research focuses on the remediation of acid mine drainage amd using metallurgical slags. Wetlands mechanisms for treating acid mine age david c. Effective treatment options for acid mine drainage in the coal. Acid mine drainage treatment using constructed wetland tumelo seadira, jeffrey baloyi, mpfunzeni raphulu, richard moutloali, and aoyi ochieng a intl conf. The most common bases used for amd neutralization are naoh, na2co3, nh4oh, and caoh2. Constructed wetlands were built to treat ash pond seepage at three different tennessee valley coalfired generating plants. It is possible to passively remove iron contaminants from mine water, but have little effect on the mine. Hedin rs, nairn rw and kleinmann rlp 1994 passive treatment of coal mine drainage. New logics v sep has the ability to perform membrane separations not possible using conventional membrane systems. Passive treatment differs from active treatment by distinguishing between these two objectives. Composition of aerobic wetland paf soil, organic matters, plants water, water of acid mine drainage. Mining activity has disrupted the hydrology of mining areas so badly that it is extremely difficult to predict where water would eventually reemerge.
Zinc removal alone averages approximately 20 pounds per day. The discharge took place in april 1994 when a containment structure failed, releasing the mine drainage into the creek. Ohio department of natural resources division of mineral. Passive treatment of neutral mine drainage at a metal mine. Review of mine drainage treatment and sludge management operations march 20 nomenclature glossary acid drainage, acid mine drainage amd or acid rock drainage ard a low ph, metalladen, sulphaterich drainage, which may occur during land disturbance such as mining activities, where sulphur or metal sulphides are exposed to atmospheric. Abandoned mine drainage abatement and treatment program.
Monitoring and analysis process carried out several times during the 29 day study, water samples were taken from. This guidance document provides the framework for the acid mine drainage and. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution to a serious issue 7. Passive treatment of net acid coal mine drainage neutralize acidity and generate alkalinity 1.
This is a natural chemical reaction which can proceed. Treatment of acid mine drainage the problem of acid mine drainage amd has been present since mining activity began thousands of years ago. Problems associated with mine drainage contaminated drinking water disrupted growth and reproduction of aquatic plants and animals corroding effects of acid on parts of infrastructure such as bridges 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. A generic mine water system diagram is shown in figure 71 to demonstrate the point that treatment may be introduced at several different. Acid mine drainage from mines abandoned before 1977, when the surface mining. 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. Treating acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in remote areas. Acid mine drainage treatment using constructed wetland. A northeast acid mine drainage amd treatment facility was using calcium hydroxide lime to precipitate iron from the mine pool water. The high acidity of acid mine drainage and the high amounts of dissolved heavy metals such as copper and zinc generally make acid mine drainage extremely toxic to most organisms pentreath, 1994. Karathanasis introduction a great deal of attention has beengiventowetlands in recentyears. Fifteen years ago, those working on acid mine drainage amd were pushing passive treatment with hopeful claims that projects would treat amd for 20 years.
Sulfatereducing bacteria srb present a natural way to reverse the. Bacterial processes in organic substrate remove metal contaminants 1. The mining industry has felt the burden of both negative environmental criticism and strong governmental regulations. This approach has been effective for the implementation of watershed restoration plans but has not. Acid mine drainage prediction compares acid rock drainage factors of waste rock piles and tailings impoundments. Causes, treatment and case studies article in journal of cleaner production 14. Water plants characteristic for phytoremediation of acid mine. Pa depbamr planned active mine drainage treatment projects. Review of mine drainage treatment and sludge management. In each of these situations, treatment of mine drainage appears to be the best method of pollution control. Department of the interior colorado school of mines u. The london extension tunnel mine drainage treatment system has proven that acid mine drainage can be successfully treated with a lowcost, lowmaintenance treatment system. Mine drainage is metalrich water formed from chemical reaction between water and rocks containing sulfurbearing minerals. The advantages and disadvantages of pipes versus channels are outlined, in relation to the particular problems arising from mine water chemistry.
Skousen national mine land reclamation center and west virginia university abstract acid mine drainage amd is often associated with mining of. Abandoned mine drainage also known as amd is a form of water pollution involving water that has been polluted by contact with mines, typically coal mines. Acid mine drainage amd forms when sulfide minerals are oxidized in coal and metal mining. In colorado alone there are over 30,000 abandoned mines. Fifteen years ago, those working on acid mine drainage amd were pushing passive treatment. Act of 2012 establishes the marcellus legacy fund and allocates funds to the commonwealth financing authority the authority for abandoned mine drainage, abatement, and treatment. In the past, mineral extraction and processing has been a source of many contaminants entering our water, soil, and air.
Aug 16, 2015 the formation of acid mine drainage amd, a highly acidic and metalrich solution, is the biggest environmental concern associated with coal and mineral mining. Cravotta iii, usgs, new cumberland, pa the sometreatmentisbetterthannone approach is a common wa tershed restoration strategy for abandoned mine drainage amd in pennsylvania. Other issues considered in this section are the selection of materials for drainage. Acid mine drainage treatment with open limestone channels. Heavy metals emanating from former mine sites are a major threat to water resources. Acid mine drainage treatment by nanofiltration membranes. Acid mine drainage amd treatment requires the addition of a base to raise ph and to cause precipitation of metals. Acid mine drainage amd is one of the major legacy problems being.
Abandoned mine drainage typically has high concentrations of metals and total dissolved solids. Slag leach beds are a promising low cost and low maintenance technology for the remediation of amd compared to potentially expensive and maintain once intensive conventional active methods that entail addition of chemicals to treat amd. Treating acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in remote. Program for the mining industry pdf australian government handbook, 2007. Many northern west virginia drainages contain huge amounts of iron in addition to small, but out of compliance. Fundamentals of mine drainage formation and chemistry kathleen s. Individual mine closures have not resulted in massive. In brief, the major cause is the accelerated oxidation of iron pyrite fes 2 and. Treatment of acidic coal mine drainage with ver7cal flow. Acid mine drainage amd is a major problem all over the world, especially where coal and gold mine activities are common. Cravotta iii, usgs, new cumberland, pa the some treatment isbetterthannone approach is a common wa tershed restoration strategy for abandoned mine drainage amd in pennsylvania. Operation and maintenance of passive acid mine drainage treatment. The formation of acid mine drainage amd, a highly acidic and metalrich solution, is the biggest environmental concern associated with coal and mineral mining. Passive treatment for divalent metals very effective removal of zn and cd, from neutral mine drainage, in a vfp system in lake district national park, uk.
Acid mine drainage amd has been a detrimental byproduct of coal mining for many years. Water control in underground mines grouting or drainage. Billions of gallons of amd impair over 5,500 miles of streams within the. Once amd is generated, it is difficult to control the process and the treatment also requires high cost aguiar et al. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution. Rehabilitation at a metal mine in new zealand is complete with the exception of a 22 ls discharge pumped from underground. The runoff formed is usually acidic and frequently comes from areas where ore or coal mining activities have exposed rocks containing pyrite, a sulfur bearing mineral.
Active mine operations also are usually not amenable to atsource control methods. Sulfatereducing bacteria srb present a natural way to reverse the damage caused by acid mine drainage. Acid mine drainage, acid and metalliferous drainage amd, or acid rock drainage ard is the. Certain southern west virginia drainages which are not acidic contain more than the maximum allowable concentration of manganese 2 mgl and require treatment. Billions of gallons of amd impair over 5,500 miles of streams within the commonwealth. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution to a serious issue 7 deloitte refers to one or more of deloitte touche tohmatsu limited dttl, a uk private company limited by guarantee, and its network of. Wastewater treatment systems that are compact, economical, and reliable are now possible for the mining industry. Composition of material aerobic wetland for acid mine drainage passive treatment. Fundamentals of minedrainage formation and chemistry. Skousen national mine land reclamation center and west virginia university abstract acid mine drainage amd is often associated with mining of pyritic coal and metal deposits. Innovative treatment technologies notice this document was prepared by a national network of environmental management studies grantee under a fellowship from the u. Many streams derived from acid mine drainage are largely devoid of life for a long way downstream. Acid mine drainage research acid mine drainage amd has been the subject of intensive research since the 1960s. 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.
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