Sustainable Reuse of Mine Tailings and Waste Rock as Water-Balance Covers

Gorakhki, Mohammad H.; Bareither, Christopher A.

doi:10.3390/min7070128

Cited by 33 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…However, the silicate adsorbents that have been reported were powdered and granulated; these forms of adsorbents were difficult to separate from the solution, and secondary pollution arose easily [23][24][25]. To find a simple and inexpensive method for separating adsorbents from solution, preparing the adsorbent into a stable structure such as a block with pores is a convenient way to realize this goal [26][27][28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on the Adsorption Behavior of Heavy Metal Ions by Porous Material Prepared with Silicate Tailings

et al. 2019

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Tailings generated from mineral processing have attracted worldwide concerns due to creating serious environmental pollution. In this work, porous adsorbents were prepared as a porous block by using silicate tailings, which can adsorb heavy metal ions from the solution and are easy to separate. The synthesized silicate porous material (SPM) was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunner–Emmet–Teller (BET), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The material presented a surface area of 3.40 m2⸱g−1, a porosity of 54%, and the compressive strength of 0.6 MPa. The maximum adsorption capacities of Pb2+, Cd2+, and Cu2+ by SPM were 44.83 mg·g−1, 35.36 mg·g−1, and 32.26 mg·g−1, respectively. The experimental data were fitted well by the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models. The kinetics of the adsorption process were fitted well by the pseudo-first order kinetic equation. These results show that the porous materials prepared with silicate tailings could act as an effective and low-cost adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater. This study may provide a new thought on the high-value utilization of tailing for alleviating environmental pressure.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on the Adsorption Behavior of Heavy Metal Ions by Porous Material Prepared with Silicate Tailings

et al. 2019

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“…The innovative methods currently used in managing Pt mine waste include crusher plants that turn underground mine waste rock into various construction products. The crusher plants perform opencast mining activities which are part of the growing small-scale mining sector [7]. However, these facilities' mining processes involve crushing and screening of the mine waste rock, which inevitably produces dust particles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Occupational health and safety (OHS) should remain the number one priority in mining. A research study showed that mining operations were still the leading cause of exposures harmful to health and associated with various causes of occupational accidents and diseases [7]. For example, in SA, Pt mining contributed 25 fatalities and injuries between January and October 2017, with similar statistics for 2016 within the same period [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Platinum Mine Workers’ Exposure to Dust Particles Emitted at Mine Waste Rock Crusher Plants in Limpopo, South Africa

Sepadi

Chadyiwa

Nkosi

2020

IJERPH

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The South African mining industry is one of the largest producers of platinum (Pt) in the world. Workers in this industry are exposed to significant amounts of dust, and this dust consists of particles sizes that can penetrate deep inside the respiratory region. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate dust exposure risk at two Pt mine waste rock crusher plants (Facility A and B) in Limpopo, South Africa. Workers’ demographic and occupational information was collected through a structured questionnaire, a walk-through observation on facilities’ processes, and static dust sampling for the collection of inhalable and respirable dust particles using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOH) 7602 and the Methods for Determination of Hazardous Substance (MDHS) 14/4 as guidelines. Only 79% of Pt mine workers, used their respiratory protective equipment (RPE), sixty-five percent were exposed to work shifts exceeding the recommended eight hours and 8.8% had been employed for more than ten years. The mean time-weighted average (TWA) dust concentrations between Facility A and B showed a significant difference (p < 0.026). The Pt mine’s inhalable concentrations (range 0.03–2.2 mg/m3) were higher than the respirable concentrations (range 0.02–0.7 mg/m3), however were all below the respective international and local occupational exposure limits (OELs). The Pt mine’s respirable crystalline silica (SiO2) quartz levels were all found below the detectable limit (<0.01 mg/m3). The Pt miners had increased health risks due to accumulated low levels of dust exposure and lack of usage of RPE. It is recommended that an improved dust control program be put in place which includes, but is not limited to, stockpile enclosures, tire stops with water sprays, and education on the importance of RPE usage.

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“…Therefore, one of the most important issues facing the mining industry is the sensible management of existing and previously unused resources of mining waste stored in MWTF. Research on the use of waste raw materials from the extraction and processing of rock raw materials is carried out in Poland and around the world [1][2][3][4][5]. However, the review showed that there is still a problem associated with the possibilities of using waste generated in the mining sector of rock raw materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative and Qualitative Research on the Waste from the Mining of Rock Raw Materials in Lower Silesia

et al. 2018

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The Lower Silesia area in SW Poland is characterized by a geological structure that is conducive to mining activity. The exploitation of rock raw materials plays an important role in this sector of the economy. By the end of 2017, there were in total approximately 400 current concessions for the exploitation of rock raw materials in the analysed area (Polish Geological Institute, MIDAS database—Management and Protection System of Polish Mineral Resources). The conducted mining activity results in waste, which in the greatest amount occurs in the process of obtaining crushed road and construction aggregates, natural aggregates, carbonate raw materials for the cement and lime industry, as well as stone elements for construction and road engineering. At the end of 2016, the mining plants accumulated 26,569,600 Mg of waste. As part of the European Regions Toward Circular Economy (CircE) project, research was conducted on the volume and composition of the mining waste of rock raw materials in the years 2010–2016 within Lower Silesia. This research used the methods of statistical, descriptive and spatial analysis to identify mining plants with the highest potential for using their wastes. In the course of this study, 6 mining plants with the highest potential of using their waste for industrial production purposes were selected. In order to objectively select these plants, the methodology of qualitative multi-criteria analysis was developed, and 7 criteria were selected for assessing the economic potential of using waste from the mining of rock raw materials. An additional result of this research is a database and graphical presentation of changes in the spatial distribution of generated waste in the Lower Silesia region in the years ranging from 2010 to 2016.

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Sustainable Reuse of Mine Tailings and Waste Rock as Water-Balance Covers

Cited by 33 publications

References 36 publications

Research on the Adsorption Behavior of Heavy Metal Ions by Porous Material Prepared with Silicate Tailings

Research on the Adsorption Behavior of Heavy Metal Ions by Porous Material Prepared with Silicate Tailings

Platinum Mine Workers’ Exposure to Dust Particles Emitted at Mine Waste Rock Crusher Plants in Limpopo, South Africa

Quantitative and Qualitative Research on the Waste from the Mining of Rock Raw Materials in Lower Silesia

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