Tailings dam seepage at the rehabilitated Mary Kathleen uranium mine, Australia

Lottermoser, Bernd G.; Ashley, P. M.

doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2005.01.001

Cited by 63 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Examination of an ephemeral creek draining this pond area during the dry season in 1999 and 2003 showed an abundance of efflorescent salts on the stream bank and bed for about one km downstream. Dissolved U concentrations during the 1999 dry season in water holes along the creek were 2.88-4.75 mg/L, far in excess of the 0.200 mg/L Australian water quality guideline for U in livestock drinking water (Lottermoser and Ashley, 2005).…”

Section: Seepage To Ephemeral Streamsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Biogeochemical aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation

Campbell¹,

Gallegos²,

Landa

2015

Applied Geochemistry

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aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation" (2014 U is overwhelmingly the most abundant at greater than 99% of the total mass of U. Prior to the 1940s, U was predominantly used as a coloring agent, and U-bearing ores were mined mainly for their radium (Ra) and/or vanadium (V) content; the bulk of the U was discarded with the tailings (Finch et al., 1972). Once nuclear fission was discovered, the economic importance of U increased greatly. The mining and milling of U-bearing ores is the first step in the nuclear fuel cycle, and the contact of residual waste with natural water is a potential source of contamination of U and associated elements to the environment. Uranium is mined by three basic methods: surface (open pit), underground, and solution mining (in situ leaching or in situ recovery), depending on the deposit grade, size, location, geology and economic considerations (Abdelouas, 2006). Solid wastes at U mill tailings (UMT) sites can include both standard tailings (i.e., leached ore rock residues) and solids generated on site by waste treatment processes. The latter can include sludge or ''mud'' from neutralization of acidic mine/mill effluents, containing Fe and a range of coprecipitated constituents, or barium sulfate precipitates that selectively remove Ra (e.g., Carvalho et al., 2007). In this chapter, we review the hydrometallurgical processes by which U is extracted from ore, the biogeochemical processes that can affect the fate and transport of U and associated elements in the environment, and possible remediation strategies for site closure and aquifer restoration. This paper represents the fourth in a series of review papers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on geochemical aspects of UMT management that span more than three decades. The first paper (Landa, 1980) in this series is a primer on the nature of tailings and radionuclide mobilization from them. The second paper (Landa, 1999) includes coverage of research carried out under the U.S. Department of Energy's Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program (UMTRA). The third paper (Landa, 2004) reflects the increased focus of researchers on biotic effects in UMT environs. This paper expands the focus to U mining, milling, and remedial actions, and includes extensive coverage of the increasingly important alkaline in situ recovery and groundwater restoration.Ó 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Section: Seepage To Ephemeral Streamsmentioning

confidence: 80%

Biogeochemical aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation

Campbell¹,

Gallegos²,

Landa

2015

Applied Geochemistry

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“…Several papers also examine the migration and geochemical evolution of contaminant plumes of tailings seepages in the aquifers around tailings facilities (Bain et al 2000;Morin et al 1982Morin et al , 1988Zhu et al 2001). Only a few papers emphasise the geochemistry of the seepage waters of the tailings impoundments (Filipek 1999;Lottermoser and Ashley 2005). In the current study, ''seepage water'' is defined as water collected directly from the outflow point at the toe of the tailings dam, before further equilibration with the atmosphere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical Characterisation of Seepage and Drainage Water Quality from Two Sulphide Mine Tailings Impoundments: Acid Mine Drainage versus Neutral Mine Drainage

2008

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Seepage water and drainage water geochemistry (pH, EC, O 2 , redox, alkalinity, dissolved cations and trace metals, major anions, total element concentrations) were studied at two active sulphide mine tailings impoundments in Finland (the Hitura Ni mine and Luikonlahti Cu mine/talc processing plant). The data were used to assess the factors influencing tailings seepage quality and to identify constraints for water treatment. Changes in seepage water quality after equilibration with atmospheric conditions were evaluated based on geochemical modelling. At Luikonlahti, annual and seasonal changes were also studied. Seepage quality was largely influenced by the tailings mineralogy, and the serpentinerich, low sulphide Hitura tailings produced neutral mine drainage with high Ni. In contrast, drainage from the high sulphide, multi-metal tailings of Luikonlahti represented typical acid mine drainage with elevated contents of Zn, Ni, Cu, and Co. Other factors affecting the seepage quality included weathering of the tailings along the seepage flow path, process water input, local hydrological settings, and structural changes in the tailings impoundment. Geochemical modelling showed that pH increased and some heavy metals were adsorbed to Fe precipitates after net alkaline waters equilibrated with the atmosphere. In the net acidic waters, pH decreased and no adsorption occurred. A combination of aerobic and anaerobic treatments is proposed for Hitura seepages to decrease the sulphate and metal loading. For Luikonlahti, prolonged monitoring of the seepage quality is suggested instead of treatment, since the water quality is still adjusting to recent modifications to the tailings impoundment.

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“…Consequently, plant growth is reduced or impossible [5]. A number of case histories related to health problems due to excess concentration of heavy metals were documented and reported from different parts of the world [4,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. One of the most important environmental problems linked to metal mining activities is acid mine drainage (AMD), which is produced by oxidation of pyrite and other metallic sulphides [34][35][36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The environmental impact of gold mines: pollution by heavy metals

Abdul‐Wahab

Marikar

2012

Open Engineering

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Abstract:The gold mining plant of Oman was studied to assess the contribution of gold mining on the degree of heavy metals into different environmental media. Samples were collected from the gold mining plant area in tailings, stream waters, soils and crop plants. The collected samples were analyzed for 13 heavy metals including vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), aluminium (Al), strontium (Sr), iron (Fe) and barium (Ba). The water in the acid evaporation pond showed a high concentration of Fe as well as residual quantities of Zn, V, and Al, whereas water from the citizens well showed concentrations of Al above those of Omani and WHO standards. The desert plant species growing closed to the gold pit indicated high concentrations of heavy metals (Mn, Al, Ni, Fe, Cr, and V), while the similar plant species used as a control indicated lesser concentrations of all heavy metals. The surface water (blue) indicated very high concentrations of copper and significant concentrations of Mn, Ni, Al, Fe, Zn, lead, Co and Cd. The results revealed that some of the toxic metals absorbed by plants indicated significant metal immobilization.

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Tailings dam seepage at the rehabilitated Mary Kathleen uranium mine, Australia

Cited by 63 publications

References 16 publications

Biogeochemical aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation

Biogeochemical aspects of uranium mineralization, mining, milling, and remediation

Geochemical Characterisation of Seepage and Drainage Water Quality from Two Sulphide Mine Tailings Impoundments: Acid Mine Drainage versus Neutral Mine Drainage

The environmental impact of gold mines: pollution by heavy metals

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