Forecasting Geoenvironmental Risks: Integrated Applications of Mineralogical and Chemical Data

Abstract

Management of solid mine wastes requires detailed material characterisation at the start of a project to minimize opportunities for the generation of acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD). Mine planning must focus on obtaining a thorough understanding of the environmental properties of the future waste rock materials. Using drill core obtained from a porphyry Cu project in Northern Europe, this study demonstrates the integrated application of mineralogical and geochemical data to enable the construction of enviro-geometallurgical models. Geoenvironmental core logging, static chemical testing, bulk- and hyperspectral mineralogical techniques, and calculated mineralogy from assay techniques were used to critically evaluate the potential for AMD formation. These techniques provide value-adding opportunities to existing datasets and provide robust cross-validation methods for each technique. A new geoenvironmental logging code and a new geoenvironmental index using hyperspectral mineralogical data (Hy-GI) were developed and embedded into the geochemistry-mineralogy-texture-geometallurgy (GMTG) approach for waste characterisation. This approach is recommended for new mining projects (i.e., early life-of-mine stages) to ensure accurate geoenvironmental forecasting, therefore facilitating the development of an effective waste management plan that minimizes geoenvironmental risks posed by the mined materials.

Biogeochemical formation of metalliferous laminations in surficial environments

“…In environments with less inherent neutralising capacity, bacterially mediated oxidation processes can generate larger-scale AMD (Alpers et al , 2003; Lottermoser, 2010; Parbakhar-Fox and Lottermoser, 2015; Parbhakar-Fox et al , 2018). At low pH, ferrihydrite is soluble, yielding dissolved Fe 3+ under oxidising conditions (Fig.…”

Novel and Emerging Strategies for Sustainable Mine Tailings and Acid Mine Drainage Management

“…On the one hand, such heterogeneities can complicate the development of predictive water quality models when the location and nature of more reactive waste materials is unknown. However, strategic placement of different materials (e.g., co-location or blending of acid-producing and acid-neutralizing materials) can also be an effective strategy to mitigate acid drainage risks [233]. Geochemical material heterogeneity can cause unpredictable weathering dynamics [115, [234][235][236] and representative sampling is critical to characterize the spatial distribution of mineral reactivity that can significantly affect the overall drainage signature of composite systems.…”

Mine Waste Rock: Insights for Sustainable Hydrogeochemical Management

“…On the one hand, such heterogeneities can complicate the development of predictive water quality models when the location and nature of more reactive waste materials is unknown. However, strategic placement of different materials (e.g., co-location or blending of acid-producing and acid-neutralizing materials) can also be an effective strategy to mitigate acid drainage risks [233]. Geochemical material heterogeneity can cause unpredictable weathering dynamics [115,[234][235][236] and representative sampling is critical to characterize the spatial distribution of mineral reactivity that can significantly affect the overall drainage signature of composite systems.…”