Lottermoser Mine Wastes

Characterization, Treatment and Environmental Impacts
3rd Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-3-642-12419-8
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 400 Seiten

This book is not designed to be an exhaustive work on mine wastes. It aims to serve undergraduate students who wish to gain an overview and an understanding of wastes produced in the mineral industry. An introductory textbook addressing the science of such wastes is not available to students despite the importance of the mineral industry as a resource, wealth and job provider. Also, the growing imp- tance of the topics mine wastes, mine site pollution and mine site rehabilitation in universities, research organizations and industry requires a textbook suitable for undergraduate students. Until recently, undergraduate earth science courses tended to follow rather classical lines, focused on the teaching of palaeontology, cryst- lography, mineralogy, petrology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, structural geology, and ore deposit geology. However, today and in the future, earth science teachers and students also need to be familiar with other subject areas. In particular, earth science curriculums need to address land and water degradation as well as rehabili- tion issues. These topics are becoming more important to society, and an increasing number of earth science students are pursuing career paths in this sector. Mine site rehabilitation and mine waste science are examples of newly emerging disciplines. This book has arisen out of teaching mine waste science to undergraduate and graduate science students and the frustration at having no appropriate text which documents the scienti?c fundamentals of such wastes.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lottermoser, Bernd

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;5
2;Contents;7
3;Glossary;12
4;1 Introduction to Mine Wastes;14
4.1;1.1 Scope of the Book;14
4.2;1.2 Definitions;16
4.2.1;1.2.1 Mining Activities;16
4.2.2;1.2.2 Metals, Ores and Industrial Minerals;16
4.2.3;1.2.3 Mine Wastes;17
4.3;1.3 Mine Waste Production;22
4.4;1.4 Mine Wastes: Unwanted By-Products or Valuable Resources?;25
4.4.1;Scientific Issue 1.1. Historical Base Metal Smelting Slags;26
4.4.1.1;The Principles of Smelting;26
4.4.1.2;Slags of Lavrion, Greece;27
4.4.1.3;Potential Recycling;27
4.5;1.5 Mining and Environmental Impacts;28
4.5.1;Scientific Issue 1.2. Geology and its Influence on the Environmental Impacts of Mineral Deposits;29
4.5.1.1;The Environmental Geology of Mineral Deposits;29
4.5.1.2;The Environmental Geology of Gold Deposits, New Zealand;30
4.5.2;Scientific Issue 1.3. The Debate on Mining and Its Environmental Impacts;31
4.5.2.1;Issue 1 -- Land Disturbance;31
4.5.2.1.1;Critics of the Mining Industry;31
4.5.2.1.2;The Mining Industry;31
4.5.2.2;Issue 2 -- Waste Production;31
4.5.2.2.1;Critics of the Mining Industry;31
4.5.2.2.2;The Mining Industry;32
4.5.2.3;Issue 3 -- Recycling Rather Than Mining;32
4.5.2.3.1;Critics of the Mining Industry;32
4.5.2.3.2;The Mining Industry;32
4.5.2.4;Issue 4 -- Pollution;32
4.5.2.4.1;Critics of the Mining Industry;32
4.5.2.4.2;The Mining Industry;32
4.5.2.5;Issue 5 -- Heavy Metal Release;33
4.5.2.5.1;Critics of the Mining Industry;33
4.5.2.5.2;The Mining Industry;33
4.5.2.6;Issue 6 -- Environmental Damage;34
4.5.2.6.1;Critics of the Mining Industry;34
4.5.2.6.2;The Mining Industry;34
4.5.3;1.5.1 Contamination and Pollution;34
4.5.4;1.5.2 Historic Mining;35
4.5.5;Case Study 1.1. Historic Mining in Australia and Its Environmental Impacts;37
4.5.5.1;Introduction;37
4.5.5.2;Environmental Impacts of Historic Mines;38
4.5.5.3;Early Rehabilitation at Historic Mines;39
4.5.5.4;Conclusions;40
4.5.6;1.5.3 Present-Day Unregulated Mining;41
4.5.7;Case Study 1.2. Mercury Pollution and Gold Mining in the Brazilian Amazon;42
4.5.7.1;Agglutination and Amalgamation;42
4.5.7.2;Mercury Release to the Amazon Environment;43
4.5.8;1.5.4 Regulation of Modern Mining;44
4.6;1.6 Rehabilitation of Mine Wastes and Mine Sites;46
4.6.1;Case Study 1.3. Sudbury, Canada: From Pollution Record Holder to Award Winning Restoration Site;47
4.6.1.1;Mining and Smelting;47
4.6.1.2;Pollution and Degradation;47
4.6.1.3;Rehabilitation;48
4.7;1.7 Sources of Information;51
4.8;1.8 Summary;53
5;2 Sulfidic Mine Wastes;55
5.1;2.1 Introduction;55
5.1.1;Scientific Issue 2.1. Early Historical Observations on Sulfide Oxidation and Acid Mine Drainage;55
5.1.1.1;Early Scholars;55
5.1.1.2;Diego Delgado (1556);56
5.2;2.2 Weathering of Sulfidic Mine Wastes;57
5.3;2.3 Acid Producing Reactions;58
5.3.1;2.3.1 Pyrite;58
5.3.2;Scientific Issue 2.2. Pyrite Oxidation in Permafrost Regions;65
5.3.2.1;Permafrost;65
5.3.2.2;Pyrite Oxidation at Low Temperatures;65
5.3.2.3;Tailings Disposal in Permafrost Regions;66
5.3.3;2.3.2 Other Sulfides;69
5.3.4;2.3.3 Other Minerals;71
5.4;2.4 Acid Buffering Reactions;72
5.4.1;2.4.1 Silicates;73
5.4.2;2.4.2 Carbonates;75
5.4.3;2.4.3 Exchangeable Cations;76
5.4.4;2.4.4 Reaction Rates;76
5.5;2.5 Coal Mine Wastes;78
5.5.1;2.5.1 Spontaneous Combustion of Pyritic Wastes;80
5.6;2.6 Formation and Dissolution of Secondary Minerals;82
5.6.1;2.6.1 Pre-mining and Post-mining Secondary Minerals;82
5.6.2;2.6.2 Solubility of Secondary Minerals;88
5.6.3;2.6.3 Acid Consumption and Production;89
5.6.4;2.6.4 Coatings and Hardpans;90
5.7;2.7 Acid Generation Prediction;92
5.7.1;2.7.1 Geological Modeling;92
5.7.2;2.7.2 Geological, Petrographic, Geochemical and Mineralogical Descriptions;93
5.7.3;2.7.3 Sampling;94
5.7.4;2.7.4 Geochemical Tests;95
5.7.4.1;2.7.4.1 Static Tests;95
5.7.4.2;2.7.4.2 Kinetic Tests;101
5.7.5;2.7.5 Modeling the Oxidation of Sulfidic Waste Dumps;103
5.8;2.8 Monitoring Sulfidic Wastes;104
5.9;2.9 Environmental Impacts;106
5.9.1;2.9.1 Soil and Sediment Contamination;107
5.9.2;Case Study 2.1. Sulfidic Mine Wastes and Their Environmental Impacts at Historical Metalliferous Mine Sites in the New England Area, Australia;108
5.9.2.1;Introduction;108
5.9.2.2;Sulfidic Ore and Waste Dumps;109
5.9.2.3;Drainage Systems;109
5.9.2.4;Soils;109
5.9.2.5;Vegetation and Algae;110
5.9.2.6;Pollution;110
5.9.3;Scientific Issue 2.3. Trace Metal Release from Historical Smelting Slags;111
5.9.3.1;Characteristics of Smelting Slags;111
5.9.3.2;Weathering of Slags;111
5.9.3.3;Plant Colonization;113
5.10;2.10 Control of Sulfide Oxidation;114
5.10.1;Scientific Issue 2.4. Coating Technologies for Sulfidic Wastes;115
5.10.1.1;Coating Technologies;115
5.10.1.2;Phosphate Stabilization;115
5.10.2;2.10.1 Wet Covers;117
5.10.3;2.10.2 Dry Covers;118
5.10.3.1;2.10.2.1 Unsaturated Covers;120
5.10.3.2;2.10.2.2 Saturated Covers;121
5.10.3.3;2.10.2.3 Store-and-Release Covers;122
5.10.4;2.10.3 Encapsulation, In-Pit Disposal and Mixing mixing ;123
5.10.5;2.10.4 Co-disposal and Blending;124
5.10.6;2.10.5 Addition of Organic Wastes;125
5.10.7;2.10.6 Bactericides;126
5.11;2.11 Summary;127
6;3 Mine Water;130
6.1;3.1 Introduction;130
6.1.1;Case Study 3.1. Acid Mine Drainage at the Rio Tinto Mines, Spain;131
6.1.1.1;The Iberian Pyrite Belt;131
6.1.1.2;The Rio Tinto Mining District;131
6.1.1.3;The Tinto River;132
6.2;3.2 Sources of AMD see acid mine drainage acid , mine drainage (AMD) ;133
6.3;3.3 Characterization;136
6.3.1;3.3.1 Sampling and Analysis;137
6.4;3.4 Classification;139
6.4.1;3.4.1 Acid Waters;141
6.4.2;3.4.2 Extremely Acid Waters;143
6.4.3;3.4.3 Neutral to Alkaline Waters;143
6.4.4;3.4.4 Coal Mine Waters;144
6.5;3.5 Processes;144
6.5.1;3.5.1 Microbiological Activity;145
6.5.2;3.5.2 Precipitation and Dissolution of Secondary Minerals;147
6.5.3;3.5.3 Coprecipitation;152
6.5.4;3.5.4 Adsorption and Desorption;152
6.5.5;3.5.5 Eh-pH Conditions;154
6.5.6;3.5.6 Heavy Metals;155
6.5.7;3.5.7 The Iron System;157
6.5.8;3.5.8 The Aluminium System;161
6.5.9;3.5.9 The Arsenic System;163
6.5.10;3.5.10 The Mercury System;165
6.5.11;3.5.11 The Sulfate System;165
6.5.12;3.5.12 The Carbonate System;167
6.5.13;3.5.13 pH Buffering;168
6.5.14;3.5.14 Turbidity;170
6.6;3.6 Prediction of Mine Water Composition;170
6.6.1;3.6.1 Geological Modeling;170
6.6.2;3.6.2 Mathematical and Computational Modeling;171
6.7;3.7 Field Indicators of AMD;173
6.8;3.8 Monitoring AMD;173
6.8.1;Scientific Issue 3.1. Seasonal and Diel Factors Controlling Water Composition.;174
6.8.1.1;Seasonal Factors;174
6.8.1.2;Diel Factors;174
6.8.2;Scientific Issue 3.2. Acid Pit Lakes;178
6.8.2.1;Formation of Pit Lakes;178
6.8.2.2;General Characteristics of Pit Lakes;178
6.8.2.3;Acid Pit Lakes;179
6.9;3.9 AMD from Sulfidic Waste Rock Dumps;180
6.9.1;3.9.1 Hydrology of Waste Rock Dumps;181
6.9.2;3.9.2 Weathering of Waste Rock Dumps;182
6.9.3;3.9.3 Temporal Changes to Dump Seepages;184
6.10;3.10 Environmental Impacts;185
6.10.1;3.10.1 Surface Water Contamination;186
6.10.2;3.10.2 Impact on Aquatic Life;187
6.10.3;3.10.3 Sediment Contamination;187
6.10.4;3.10.4 Ground Water Contamination;188
6.10.5;3.10.5 Climate Change;190
6.11;3.11 AMD Management Strategies;190
6.12;3.12 Treatment of AMD;191
6.12.1;Scientific Issue 3.3. The Use of Red Mud from Bauxite Refineries to Treat AMD;193
6.12.1.1;Production of Bauxite Refinery Waste;193
6.12.1.2;Use of Bauxite Refinery Waste;194
6.13;3.12.1 Active Neutralization;197
6.14;3.12.2 Other Chemical Treatments;200
6.15;3.13 Summary;212
7;4 Tailings;215
7.1;4.1 Introduction;215
7.2;4.2 Tailings Characteristics;216
7.2.1;4.2.1 Process Chemicals;216
7.2.2;4.2.2 Tailings Liquids;218
7.2.3;4.2.3 Tailings Solids;218
7.3;4.3 Tailings Dams;220
7.3.1;4.3.1 Tailings Hydrogeology;222
7.3.2;4.3.2 AMD Generation;224
7.3.3;4.3.3 Tailings Dam Failures;227
7.3.4;4.3.4 Monitoring;234
7.3.5;4.3.5 Wet and Dry Covers;235
7.4;4.4 Thickened Discharge and Paste Technologies;236
7.5;4.5 Backfilling;237
7.6;4.6 Riverine and Lacustrine Disposal;239
7.6.1;Case Study 4.1. Riverine Tailings Disposal at Ok Tedi, Papua New Guinea;242
7.6.1.1;The Ok Tedi Mine;242
7.6.1.2;Discharge of Waste into Ok Tedi River;242
7.7;4.7 Marine Disposal;243
7.7.1;Case Study 4.2. Submarine Tailings Disposal at the Black Angel Mine, Greenland.;244
7.7.1.1;The Black Angel Lead-Zinc Mine;244
7.7.1.2;Tailings Discharge;244
7.7.1.3;Transfer of Metals into the Fjord;246
7.8;4.8 Recycling and Reuse;247
7.8.1;Scientific Issue 4.1. Phytoremediation and Phytomining of Metalliferous Wastes;247
7.8.1.1;Introduction;247
7.8.1.2;Phytoremediation;247
7.8.1.3;Phytomining;248
7.9;4.9 Summary;249
8;5 Cyanidation Wastes of Gold-Silver Ores;252
8.1;5.1 Introduction;252
8.2;5.2 Occurrences and Uses of Cyanide;252
8.3;5.3 Cyanide Chemistry;254
8.3.1;5.3.1 Free Cyanide;255
8.3.2;5.3.2 Simple Cyanide Compounds;256
8.3.3;5.3.3 Complexed Cyanide;256
8.4;5.4 Gold Extraction;257
8.4.1;5.4.1 Heap Leach Process;257
8.4.2;5.4.2 Vat/Tank Leach Process;258
8.5;5.5 Hydrometallurgical Wastes;259
8.6;5.6 Cyanide Analysis and Monitoring;260
8.7;5.7 Environmental Impacts;261
8.7.1;Case Study 5.1. Cyanide Spill at Baia Mare, Romania;262
8.7.1.1;Mining History;262
8.7.1.2;Tailings Dam Failure;262
8.7.1.3;Recovery;263
8.8;5.8 Cyanide Destruction;265
8.8.1;5.8.1 Natural Attenuation;266
8.8.2;5.8.2 Enhanced Natural Attenuation;268
8.8.3;5.8.3 Engineered Attentuation;269
8.9;5.9 Summary;270
9;6 Radioactive Wastes of Uranium Ores;272
9.1;6.1 Introduction;272
9.2;6.2 Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Uranium;272
9.2.1;6.2.1 Uranium Ores;272
9.2.2;6.2.2 Placer and Beach Sands;273
9.3;6.3 Aqueous Chemistry of Uranium;274
9.3.1;6.3.1 Oxidative Dissolution of Uranium Minerals;274
9.3.2;6.3.2 Uranium Solubility;276
9.3.3;6.3.3 Uranium Precipitation;277
9.4;6.4 Radioactivity;278
9.4.1;6.4.1 Principles of Radioactivity;278
9.4.2;6.4.2 Radioactive Decay of Uranium and Thorium;279
9.4.2.1;6.4.2.1 Radium;281
9.4.2.2;6.4.2.2 Radon;281
9.4.3;6.4.3 Units and Measurements of Radioactivity and Radiation Dose;282
9.4.3.1;6.4.3.1 Units;282
9.4.3.2;6.4.3.2 Measurements;284
9.4.4;6.4.4 Radioactive Equilibrium and Disequilibrium;284
9.5;6.5 Uranium Mining and Extraction;285
9.5.1;6.5.1 Conventional Mining and Extraction;286
9.5.2;6.5.2 In Situ Leach (ISL) Operations;287
9.5.3;Case Study 6.1. Waste Production and Environmental Impacts of the Wismut Uranium Mines, Germany;289
9.5.3.1;Mining;289
9.5.3.2;Environmental Impacts and Rehabilitation;290
9.5.3.3;Waste Production;290
9.5.3.4;ISL Operations;291
9.5.3.5;Conclusions;291
9.6;6.6 Mining, Processing and Hydrometallurgical Wastes;292
9.7;6.7 Tailings;293
9.7.1;6.7.1 Tailings Radioactivity;293
9.7.2;6.7.2 Tailings Solids;294
9.7.3;6.7.3 Tailings Liquids;296
9.7.4;6.7.4 Tailings Disposal;297
9.7.5;6.7.5 Long-Term Stability of Tailings Dams;299
9.8;6.8 Mine Water;301
9.8.1;6.8.1 Constituents;301
9.8.2;6.8.2 Treatment;302
9.9;6.9 Monitoring;304
9.10;6.10 Radiation Hazards;305
9.10.1;6.10.1 Radiation Dose and Human Health;306
9.10.2;6.10.2 Occupational Radiation Exposure;307
9.11;6.11 Environmental Impacts;310
9.11.1;Case Study 6.2. Environmental Review of the Rehabilitated Mary Kathleen Uranium Mine, Australia;311
9.11.1.1;Mining and Rehabilitation at Mary Kathleen;311
9.11.1.2;Open Pit;312
9.11.1.3;Waste Rock Piles;312
9.11.1.4;Tailings Dam;312
9.11.1.5;Drainage;313
9.11.1.6;Conclusions;313
9.11.2;6.11.1 Excessive Radioactivity Levels and Radon Emissions;314
9.11.3;6.11.2 Inappropriate Use of Tailings and Waste Rocks;315
9.11.4;6.11.3 Failure of Tailings Dams;315
9.11.5;6.11.4 Soil and Sediment Contamination;315
9.11.6;Case Study 6.3. Environmental Review of the Rehabilitated Radium Hill Uranium Mine, South Australia;316
9.11.6.1;Introduction;316
9.11.6.2;The Radium Hill Mine;316
9.11.6.3;Physical Dispersion;317
9.11.7;6.11.5 Ground and Surface Water Contamination;317
9.11.8;6.11.6 Acid Mine Drainage;318
9.12;6.12 Summary;318
10;7 Wastes of Phosphate and Potash Ores;322
10.1;7.1 Introduction;322
10.2;7.2 Potash Mine Wastes;322
10.2.1;7.2.1 Potash Ores;323
10.2.2;7.2.2 Mining and Processing Wastes;323
10.3;7.3 Phosphate Mine Wastes;324
10.3.1;7.3.1 Phosphate Rock;324
10.3.1.1;7.3.1.1 Mineralogy and Geochemistry;326
10.3.2;7.3.2 Mining, Processing and Hydrometallurgical Wastes;326
10.3.3;7.3.3 Phosphogypsum;329
10.3.3.1;7.3.3.1 Mineralogy and Geochemistry;329
10.3.3.2;7.3.3.2 Radiochemistry;332
10.3.4;7.3.4 Disposal of Phosphogypsum;332
10.3.4.1;7.3.4.1 Riverine and Marine Disposal;333
10.3.4.2;7.3.4.2 Backfilling;333
10.3.4.3;7.3.4.3 Phosphogypsum Stacks;334
10.3.4.4;7.3.4.4 Recycling;336
10.3.4.5;Scientific Issue 7.1. Recovery of Trace Constituents from Phosphate Rock;336
10.3.4.5.1;Resources within Phosphate Rock;336
10.3.4.5.2;Recovery of Elements;337
10.3.5;7.3.5 Potential Hazards and Environmental Impacts;338
10.3.5.1;7.3.5.1 Phosphogypsum;338
10.3.5.2;7.3.5.2 Waste Rocks and Tailings;340
10.4;7.4 Summary;341
11;References;343
12;Index;401