Predicting the acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) contribution from waste rock dumps (WRDs) containing potentially acid forming (PAF) material is a key step when planning for closure. For sites already demonstrating impacts from the generation and release of AMD, estimating final water quality and flow rates emanating from WRDs is key to quantifying the level of remediation and/or management required at closure. Predictions of final water quality need to be compared with regulatory limits for closure, stakeholder expectations and any anticipated treatment options (including treatment longevity and costs). In the absence of WRD sample data collected from intrusive investigations, there are often numerous WRD seeps and impacted streams that can be used to determine typical water quality, solubility constraints, flow rates, contaminant loads and thus source terms for PAF WRD drainage. The preceding step critical to the determination of source terms is the development of a conceptual model that incorporates potential/stored acidity components, flow rates and water quality. The developed conceptual model can then be further refined and strengthened with geochemical modelling. The potential acidity component, that is primarily associated with acid generating sulphides, is typically estimated from assay databases and materials placement records. Laboratory derived pyrite oxidation rates can be used to estimate the remaining potential acidity component as well as the formed stored acidity component. The mobilisation of stored acidity and other oxidation products is often constrained by solubility controls, particularly in older WRDs. These solubility controls are often associated with the formation and dissolution of melanterite-type soluble acidity, jarosite-type sparingly soluble acidity and other secondary phases such as gypsum. The determination of these mineral and/or the proportion of which they make up the estimated oxidised sulphur content allows for more accurate determination of the stored acidity component for source term derivation. Geochemical testwork can then confirm the presence of such minerals, which is incorporated into an acid-base accounting modelling process and the determination of three key phases of closure water quality; (1) the draindown water quality phase; (2) the transition water quality phase; and, (3) the long-term water quality phase. During the WRD draindown phase, after cover system installation, the seepage quality can be assumed to be equal to the derived WRD source term with the duration of this phase determined by numerical modelling. Seepage quality for the transition phase is determined from the stored acidity (or metalliferous oxidation products), which also incorporates elemental loading. The long-term water quality can be determined by forward reaction path modelling or by using key mineral dissolution kinetics (first principal approach). Combining these three phases then produces a model for the prediction of long-term water quality after operations, which can be utilised f...
Technical aspects of waste rock characterisation and assessment have been the focus of considerable research over the past decade, with many guidance documents being published on the subject internationally and within Australia. While these documents provide detailed information on how to characterise waste rock, there is not a great amount of guidance on how the placement of waste rock can be optimised to account for the results of the characterisation studies. In this respect it could be reasonably concluded that the science has progressed to a more advanced stage for waste classification in comparison to how to manage it. This has lead in many cases to site specific waste characterisations being followed up with generic waste management solutions such as widespread adoption of the ubiquitous potential acid forming cell as a management solution. The net result of this mismatch is that although acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) assessments are undoubtedly being carried out to a higher level of detail than in the past, there is not a definitive correlation with site management practices and, therefore, effective closure risk reduction over this time. The net effect of this trend has been that site operators are being given better information on AMD risks, but not better solutions on how to manage these risks. That is to say site operators are being told why they should manage risks but not how to achieve this, and by how much risks can effectively be managed (if at all). Questions that site engineers and operators may ask about the relative benefit of one placement solution over another have for the most not been adequately addressed by research. Examples include assessment of the quantitative benefit of paddock dumping vs end tipping, determining the optimal tip head height for waste placement in a storage facility, and how sulphide grade control should be carried out. A detailed risk-based investigation of the influence of factors common to waste placement is presented herein and has been completed as part of a wider research initiative to investigate the technical aspects of developing a quantitative assessment tool. Applying a numerical modelling approach to assessment of the different waste material placement strategies allows for the graphical presentation and communication of the variation in risk through risk matrices and histograms.
Progressive rehabilitation has been recognised by the mining industry as a key strategy for minimising mine closure costs and environmental risk, with the rehabilitation of potentially acid-forming waste rock being of particular interest due to the very large liabilities associated with sites where this risk has not been properly addressed. When properly implemented as an engineered solution, progressive rehabilitation of potentially acid-forming waste rock can provide an inherently more robust and lower risk rehabilitation strategy compared with the commonly-implemented alternative of an end-of-life waste dump covers. A case study is presented herein where progressive rehabilitation of potentially acid-forming waste rock has been successfully integrated with ongoing construction of the embankment of a tailings storage facility (TSF). The mine site in question, the Martabe Gold Mine in Indonesia, is thought to be unique in that construction of the TSF embankment at the site will require utilisation of almost all of the waste rock to be produced life-of-mine. The TSF embankment is therefore a fully integrated and engineered structure addressing both tailings and waste rock disposal requirements for the site. This approach offers a number of key benefits, including minimisation of both waste rock rehabilitation and tailings storage costs, and minimising the risk of long-term acid mine drainage. The progressive mine waste rehabilitation strategy adopted by G-Resources at the Martabe Gold Mine was designed taking into account the inherent properties of the waste rock materials, the run-of-mine waste rock schedule, and the engineering constraints required in order to construct a TSF embankment to exacting geotechnical standards. The strategy has required systematic implementation of outcomes reflective of industry leading practice, including: Detailed waste characterisation studies. Development of waste characterisation criteria. Production of a life-of-mine waste schedule. Selection of a waste sealing specification based on oxidation modelling. Progressive implementation of selective waste placement and sealing. Performance measurement to validate design and implementation. All key technical teams at the Martabe Gold Mine, including exploration, mine geology, mine planning, TSF construction and environment, have played an integral role in the implementation of this strategy, which can be described as an integrated waste management solution in which minimisation of mine closure risk is process that is carried out across the life of the mine.
Acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD) management plans are generally developed as part of a site's closure plan to inhibit or mitigate the generation and release of AMD for sites with problematic materials. They are typically constructed around a body of knowledge involving multiple geoscience and environmental disciplines. However, despite the volume and degree of scientific investigations completed, if the waste rock classification system and therefore AMD management plan developed is not practical and does not take into consideration other site drivers such as production, its successful implementation and adoption is unlikely. A common weakness of AMD plans developed based on industry best practice is that they often fail the practicality test, as the characterisation process produces ambiguous outcomes such as the classification of material as uncertain with respect to acid generating potential. At the Escarpment Coal Mine, West Coast, New Zealand, a new process flow method for geochemical classification is being trialled. Results indicate that classification by a process flow method results in far fewer samples being classified as uncertain compared to the current resource consent matrix-style classification. Results presented in this paper indicate that ABA data and field column leach trials validate this approach. https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/1608_48_Pearce/ A risk-based approach using process flow diagrams for operational waste rock S Pearce et al. classificationcase studies 650 Mine Closure 2016, Perth, Australia
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