Geochemical characterization of acid mine drainage from a waste rock pile, Mine Doyon, Québec, Canada

Šráček, Ondra; Choquette, Marc; Gélinas, Pierre; Lefebvre, René; Nicholson, Ronald V.

doi:10.1016/s0169-7722(03)00150-5

Cited by 127 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…enhanced by the low pH conditions. These highly acidic waters from the tailing piles were observed to flow into the nearby streams, causing their contamination, where significant concentrations of Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn and SO 4 were observed in the stream waters near the main tailing deposit, and similar to other AMD case studies (Boult et al, 1994;Brake et al, 2001;Sainz et al, 2003;Sracek et al, 2004). The main input was observed near sample AMW3, where a disruption in the wall of the dam allowed the output of acidic water (pH~1) with high concentrations of trace elements (Table 3).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

An integrative assessment of environmental degradation of Caveira abandoned mine area (Southern Portugal)

Silva

Durães

Reis

et al. 2015

Journal of Geochemical Exploration

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Since the end of the 1990s the Portuguese Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) is a typical European post-mining region with significant problems related to acid mine drainage (AMD), metal dispersion, mine waste management and unsafe mining infra-structures. The Portuguese government is providing particular attention on the sulphide abandoned mines and doing considerable investments on the mining recovery all over the country. The former Caveira mine was closed in the 1980s. It is considered an extremely impacted site due to the dimension of the areas affected by mining activities. Tailings, mine addicts and associated waste rock dumps, resulting from 129 years of pyrite and Cu exploitation, are spread along the Grândola stream. Despite the semi-arid climatic conditions of the area, the tailings are considerably eroded by the surficial waters, particularly during rainfall events. The past mining and smelting activities have resulted in severe contamination of the Grândola stream and its tributary by AMD (pH b 2) as well as degradation of surrounding stream sediments, soils and vegetation. In order to evaluate possible environmental risks, a sediment and surface water survey was carried out downstream the Caveira mine. The acidic effluent and mixed stream water show high Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb and SO 4 concentrations, with several of these contaminants exceeding local and/or surface water quality standards. The data show a strong seasonal variation of surface water quality with poorer water quality during the dry and rainy seasons caused by evaporation and efflorescent salt dissolution, respectively. The variable flow regime at the local streams causes dilution of AMD rich in trace metals reaching background within 14 km downstream. The potential toxicity of stream metal concentrations was determined using cumulative criterion unit (CCU) scores and the modified AMD index (MAMDI), which highlighted As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn as the major sources of potential chronic stream toxicity, with emphasis on winter season. Although the threshold of the likely harm to aquatic life is exceeded at all sites, the two indexes highlight differences relating to the extension of contamination effects. The Average Index of Toxicity (AIT) showed that sediment contamination is very high even when the distance to mine promoted a decreasing in water metal concentrations, which are being precipitated in the sediments due to pH increase.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

An integrative assessment of environmental degradation of Caveira abandoned mine area (Southern Portugal)

Silva

Durães

Reis

et al. 2015

Journal of Geochemical Exploration

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“…These values were consistent with EC values of numerous AMLs published in the literature (Lessmann et al 1999;Espana et al 2008). Eh values are likely to be meaningful in high-Fe and lowpH waters (Nordstrom et al 1979;Sracek et al 2004). Eh values of AMLs are between 176 and 261 mV.…”

Section: Field Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…redox couple because concentrations of Fe were generally high. In general, temperature of surface waters change with geographical location, altitude, season, time of day, and depth of water body (Sracek et al 2004).…”

Section: Field Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical Characterization of Acid Mine Lakes in Northwest Turkey and Their Effect on the Environment

Yücel

Baba

2012

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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Mining activity generates a large quantity of mine waste. The potential hazard of mine waste depends on the host mineral. The tendency of mine waste to produce acid mine drainage (AMD) containing potentially toxic metals depends on the amounts of sulfide, carbonate minerals, and trace-element concentrations found in ore deposits. The acid mine process is one of the most significant environmental challenges and a major source of water pollution worldwide. AMD and its effects were studied in northwest Turkey where there are several sedimentary and hydrothermal mineral deposits that have been economically extracted. The study area is located in Can county of Canakkale province. Canakkale contains marine, lagoon, and lake sediments precipitated with volcanoclastics that occurred as a result of volcanism, which was active during various periods from the Upper Eocene to Plio-Quaternary. Can county is rich in coal with a total lignite reserve [100 million tons and contains numerous mines that were operated by private companies and later abandoned without any remediation. As a result, human intervention in the natural structure and topography has resulted in large open pits and deterioration in these areas. Abandoned open pit mines typically fill with water from runoff and groundwater discharge, producing artificial lakes. Acid drainage waters from these mines have resulted in the degradation of surface-water quality around Can County. The average pH and electrical conductivity of acid mine lakes (AMLs) in this study were found to be 3.03 and 3831.33 lS cm -1 , respectively. Total iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) levels were also found to be high (329.77 and 360.67 mg L -1 , respectively). The results show that the concentration of most elements, such as Fe and Al in particular, exceed national and international water-quality standards.

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“…The relatively high evaporation from the riprap side slope suggests that internal evaporation, which is the loss of water on rock surfaces because of convective air, should be an important mechanism to release precipitation into the atmosphere. Internal evaporation within a rock pile was indicated by stable isotopes (i.e., deuterium and 18 O) by Sracek et al (2004). As a result, the drainage rate from the riprap side slope tends to be lower than that from the gravelcovered sand or silt.…”

Section: Water Storage and Evaporation Within The Riprap Side Slopementioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2017

WATER

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Surface barriers for containing underground nuclear waste in place are expected to function for 1000 years. Riprap, which consists of very coarse rock fragments, has been used to protect surface barriers against wind-and water-induced erosion and damage by other natural or human activities. Although drainage from riprap could affect the hydrological performance of a surface barrier, there have been very few quantitative investigations of drainage from riprap. A riprap side slope was installed on a portion of the Prototype Hanford Barrier, which was constructed in 1994 at the Hanford Site, Washington, USA. Drainage through the riprap side slope was monitored from 1994 to 2013 under natural and enhanced precipitation conditions. Results show that, when the precipitation was lower than about 200 mm yr , approximately 60% of the additional precipitation drained through the riprap. On average, 12.9% and 40.5% of the annual precipitation became drainage under natural and enhanced precipitation conditions, respectively. Internal evaporation may be a key mechanism moving water stored within the riprap side slope to the atmosphere. Running TitleDrainage from a Riprap Side Slope

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Geochemical characterization of acid mine drainage from a waste rock pile, Mine Doyon, Québec, Canada

Cited by 127 publications

References 17 publications

An integrative assessment of environmental degradation of Caveira abandoned mine area (Southern Portugal)

An integrative assessment of environmental degradation of Caveira abandoned mine area (Southern Portugal)

Geochemical Characterization of Acid Mine Lakes in Northwest Turkey and Their Effect on the Environment

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