Influence of climate change on the ability of a cover with capillary barrier effects to control acid generation

Hotton, Gwendoline; Bussière, Bruno; Pabst, Thomas; Bresson, Émilie; Roy, Philippe

doi:10.1007/s10040-019-02084-y

Cited by 22 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…For instance, increased retention by (neglected) MSR may be at risk of being misinterpreted as decreased source zone mobilization of metals. The metal mobilization (e.g., at mining waste heaps) is notably also expected to be impacted by ongoing hydroclimatic changes although through quite different processes (e.g., Hotton et al., 2020; Jarsjö et al., 2020; Shrestha et al., 2020). A key challenge in understanding the role of MSR in mitigation solutions to (acid) mine drainage is therefore to consider how it may impact the balance between mobilization and retention under conditions of future ambient changes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Sulfate Reduction (MSR) as a Nature‐Based Solution (NBS) to Mine Drainage: Contrasting Spatiotemporal Conditions in Northern Europe

Fischer

Mörth

Rosqvist

et al. 2022

Water Resources Research

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Microbial sulfate reduction (MSR) has increasingly been investigated for its potential to immobilize metals and reduce their bioavailability while also increasing the pH of acid mine drainage (AMD; e.g., Nielsen et al., 2018). The process involves microbes (bacteria and archaea) converting sulfate into sulfide that together with toxic dissolved metals precipitate into less mobile forms. Laboratory bioreactor experiments on MSR show a metal retention of 70% or more under favorable conditions (e.g., Sinharoy et al., 2020;Zhang & Wang, 2016). The activity depends on several factors, such as (bioavailable) carbon and sulfate supply, oxygen level, pH, and temperature (Xu & Chen, 2020). MSR has also been observed in the field at certain locations and time periods, for example, in individual wetlands or near tailing deposits at particular points of time (Mandernack et al., 2000;Praharaj & Fortin, 2004). Recently, Fischer, Jarsjö, et al. (2022) additionally showed evidence of ongoing and considerable MSR in multiple locations (so-called "hot spots") within an AMD-impacted catchment (Imetjoki, Northern Sweden), which is essential if MSR is to be used as an effective mitigation solution for spatially extensive mining sites and their downstream regions. However, large knowledge gaps remain regarding catchment-scale MSR in freshwater systems, where specific catchment and seasonal conditions could differ substantially from site to site. It is therefore not known to what extent MSR more generally could provide a basis for viable bioremediation, for instance, as part of nature-based solutions for sites impacted by (acid) mine drainage across the world. This includes the Arctic, which counts as one of the world's larger mining regions with numerous examples of largescale mine drainage development, and where cold conditions and pronounced seasonality may hamper the activity of freshwater sulfur-reducing microbes (SRM).Current evidence shows that point locations which are relatively favorable for MSR contain soil and sediments with sufficiently high organic matter content to support the metabolism of SRM, and that they are associated with

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Sulfate Reduction (MSR) as a Nature‐Based Solution (NBS) to Mine Drainage: Contrasting Spatiotemporal Conditions in Northern Europe

Fischer

Mörth

Rosqvist

et al. 2022

Water Resources Research

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“…In a CCBE. the contrasting unsaturated hydrogeological properties of the cover materials [11][12][13] Minerals 2020, 10, 596 2 of 17 allows maintaining the MRL at a high degree of saturation (S w ; typically > 85%). Since the diffusion of oxygen through water is low (2.4 × 10 −9 m 2 s −1 ), this high S w value limits oxygen diffusion to the reactive waste [11,[14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogeochemical Behavior of Reclaimed Highly Reactive Tailings, Part 1: Characterization of Reclamation Materials

Kalonji-Kabambi¹,

Bussière

Demers³

2020

Minerals

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The production of solid mine wastes is an integral part of the extraction and metallurgical processing of ores. The reclamation of highly reactive mine waste, with low neutralizing potential, is still a significant challenge for the mining industry, particularly when natural soils are not available close to the site. Some solid mine wastes present interesting hydro-geotechnical properties which can be taken advantage of, particularly for being used in reclamation covers to control acid mine drainage. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the use of mining materials (i.e., tailings and waste rock) in a cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) to prevent acid mine drainage (AMD) from highly reactive tailings. The first part of the project reproduced in this article involves context and laboratory validation of mining materials as suitable for a CCBE, while the companion paper reports laboratory and field results of cover systems made with mining materials. The main conclusions of the Part 1 of this study were that the materials studied (low sulfide tailings and waste rocks) had the appropriate geochemical and hydrogeological properties for use as cover materials in a CCBE. Results also showed that the cover mining materials are not acid-generating and that the LaRonde tailings are highly reactive with pH close to 2, with high concentrations of metals and sulfates.

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“…Waste‐rock heterogeneity is attributed to the physical, chemical, lithological, and mineralogical characteristics of waste rock, variations in the topography of the waste‐rock pile and its foundation, and waste‐rock pile construction techniques (Amos et al., 2015; Anterrieu et al., 2010; Lahmira et al., 2017; Muniruzzaman and Pedretti, 2020; Raymond et al., 2021; Vriens, Plante, et al., 2020). Waste‐rock characteristics and site‐specific climate conditions, including extreme climatic events, have a strong influence on hydrological processes (Smith et al., 1995) and subsequently, on the design of reclamation efforts (Aubertin et al., 2016; Hotton et al., 2020) and supporting geotechnical infrastructure (Labonté‐Raymond et al., 2020) and on the long‐term performance of the remediation approaches (Zhan et al., 2014, 2019) at mine sites. Sulfide‐mineral oxidation and acid‐neutralization reactions in waste‐rock piles introduce additional complexity for predicting drainage‐water quantity and quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogeochemical Response of a Variably Saturated Sulfide‐Bearing Mine Waste‐Rock Pile to Precipitation: A Field‐Scale Study in the Discontinuous Permafrost Region of Northern Canada

Bao

Bain

Holland

et al. 2022

Water Resources Research

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Globally, drainage from sulfide‐bearing waste‐rock piles, containing high concentrations of toxic metal(loid)s, can severely degrade surrounding ecosystems. Waste‐rock piles are typically deposited as unsaturated porous media. The complex physical and chemical heterogeneity of waste rock poses significant challenges to the evaluation of internal hydrological, (bio)geochemical, and mineralogical controls on the magnitude and duration of environmental impacts. An operational‐scale waste‐rock pile located in the discontinuous permafrost region of Northern Canada was well‐instrumented and monitored to examine hydrological processes (including precipitation, evaporation, and infiltration), hydrological and thermal responses to freeze‐thaw and dry‐wet cycles, and concentration‐discharge (cQ) relationships in drainage‐water quantity and quality. The net infiltration (subtraction of evaporation from precipitation) into the waste‐rock pile occurred from May to November, resulting in rainfall‐dominated recharge to pore water, surface seepage, and groundwater. Pronounced variations in water content and temperature in response to freeze‐thaw and dry‐wet cycles and variations in surface topography were observed in regions of the waste‐rock pile impacted by preferential flow pathways. In contrast, distinct variations in water content and temperature were not observed in regions of matrix‐dominated flow pathways. The cQ relationships show chemodynamically controlled dilution behavior for most dissolved constituents (e.g., SO4, Fe, Pb, Zn, Cu, Ca, Mn) in the drainage. Therefore, hydrological processes and (bio)geochemical and mineralogical reactions both play prominent roles in determining drainage‐water chemistry. This work presents an integrated approach to site‐specific monitoring and characterization to evaluate remediation and reclamation options for operational‐scale waste‐rock piles for long‐term ecosystem preservation.

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Influence of climate change on the ability of a cover with capillary barrier effects to control acid generation

Cited by 22 publications

References 41 publications

Microbial Sulfate Reduction (MSR) as a Nature‐Based Solution (NBS) to Mine Drainage: Contrasting Spatiotemporal Conditions in Northern Europe

Microbial Sulfate Reduction (MSR) as a Nature‐Based Solution (NBS) to Mine Drainage: Contrasting Spatiotemporal Conditions in Northern Europe

Hydrogeochemical Behavior of Reclaimed Highly Reactive Tailings, Part 1: Characterization of Reclamation Materials

Hydrogeochemical Response of a Variably Saturated Sulfide‐Bearing Mine Waste‐Rock Pile to Precipitation: A Field‐Scale Study in the Discontinuous Permafrost Region of Northern Canada

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