Upstream environmental desulphurisation and valorisation of waste rocks as a sustainable AMD management approach

Amar, Hicham; Benzaazoua, Mostafa; Elghali, Abdellatif; Bussière, Bruno; Duclos, M.

doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2020.106555

Cited by 17 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The mobilities of the chemical species, including Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, S, and Zn, were greatly reduced through the use of both the alkaline and cementitious amendments. Reduction factors, calculated using Equation (6), are presented for Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, S, and Zn in Figure 8. The reduction factor for each element was calculated based on its average concentration in leachates from the unamended and amended tailings [15]:…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of tailings are stored at the surface in a tailing storage facility (TSF). Mine tailings often contain non-negligible amounts of iron sulfide minerals such as pyrite and pyrrhotite [4][5][6]. The oxidation of sulfide minerals occurs when they are exposed to water and oxygen, both in the presence or absence of microorganisms [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Laboratory Study on the Effectiveness of Limestone and Cementitious Industrial Products for Acid Mine Drainage Remediation

et al. 2021

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Acid mine tailings may affect several environmental matrices. Here, we aimed to stabilize acid-generated mine tailings using several alkaline and cementitious amendments, which were tested in columns for 361 days. The alkaline amendments consisted of 10 and 20 wt.% limestone, while the cementitious amendments consisted of different binders at a total dosage of 5 wt.% binder. The different formulations for the cementitious amendments were: 50% Kruger fly ash and 50% class F fly ash; 20% ordinary Portland cement, 40% Kruger fly ash, and 40% class F fly ash; 80% ordinary Portland cement and 20% Kruger fly ash; and 20% ordinary Portland cement, 40% Kruger fly ash, and 40% fly ash. Kinetic testing on the amendment formulations showed that the pH values increased from <2.5 to circumneutral values (~7.5). The mobility of various chemical species was greatly reduced. Cumulative Fe released from the unamended tailings was ~342.5 mg/kg, and was <22 mg/kg for the amended tailings. The main mechanisms responsible for metal(loid) immobilization were the precipitation of secondary phases, such as Fe-oxyhydroxides, physical trapping, and tailing impermeabilization.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laboratory Study on the Effectiveness of Limestone and Cementitious Industrial Products for Acid Mine Drainage Remediation

et al. 2021

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“…The ICP-AES is calibrated using SY-4 which is an international rock standard. Moreover, a duplicate was analyzed for each of the six samples [22]. Major elements contents (Al 2 O 3 , CaO, Cr 2 O 3 , K 2 O, MgO, MnO, Na 2 O, P 2 O 5 , Fe 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , TiO 2 and LOI) were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence in the whole rock at SGS (Canada).…”

Section: Physical and Chemical Characterizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The management of these sediments is of environmental and societal importance, and can also be an economic opportunity. Indeed, these sediments could contain valuable elements (e.g., Cu-bearing minerals) that can be efficiently recovered by flotation and/or gravity methods [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Anthropogenic Metal Pollution at Osisko Lake: Sediments Characterization for Reclamation Purposes

Darricau

Elghali

Martel³

et al. 2021

Applied Sciences

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The anthropogenic pollution of lake ecosystems by human activities (e.g., mining industries) is recognized as a serious issue. The Osisko urban lake located in Rouyn-Noranda (Quebec, Canada) was used partially as a waste disposal facility for many decades, causing a heavy pollution. The main undertakings of this study are (i) assessing the mineralogical and geochemical properties of lake Osisko sediments, and (ii) studying the pollution that occurred within lake water due to the sediments’ reactivity. Water and sediments across the lake were collected in different sensitive locations. Within the sediment samples, two parts were distinguished: a small layer of black vase over grey sediments. The black vase resembled organic matter while the gray sediment seemed close to clean lake sediments. The collected samples were characterized for their physical (particle size distribution, specific gravity and specific surface area), chemical (minor and major elements as well as total sulfur and carbon) and mineralogical (X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope) properties. Additionally, the reactivity of sediments was studied using weathering cells to quantify chemical species leaching and their releasing rates. The results showed that the vase was the only contaminated part with high concentrations of sulfur and metals such as copper, zinc and iron. Geochemical data showed that the composite sample and the vase potentially cause contaminated acid drainage if they are exposed to atmospheric conditions. Indeed, the pH values of the leachates from both samples were between 4 and 6, while those corresponding to sediments remained around circumneutral values. Quantitatively, the contaminant release from the tested samples was variable. Indeed, the Fe cumulative concentrations were around 200, 80 and 20 mg/kg for the vase, composite and sediment samples, respectively. Similarly, the Zn cumulative concentrations were around 4500, 4200, and below the detection limit for vase, composite and sediment samples, respectively. The same tendency was observed for Cu, S, and Fe. Thus, sediments within Osisko lake present a risk for water contamination if they are resuspended or dredged out of the lake. Consequently, they should be stabilized before their disposal. The samples’ high Cu contents also offer the possibility of their reprocessing.

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“…Advanced exploration, preliminary economic assessment, and feasibility study stages are globally referred to as the upstream stages of a mining project, during which deposit definition and preliminary environmental and operational data are gathered. As the upstream stage benefits from specific kinetic testing and suited management approaches [69][70][71][72][73], it should be further expanded through geochemical modeling tools.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incorporating Kinetic Modeling in the Development Stages of Hard Rock Mine Projects

Toubri

Vermette²,

Demers

et al. 2021

Minerals

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Weathering cell test, designed specifically to overcome material-limited constraints, yields prompt and efficient experimental assessment during the development stages of mining projects. However, it has barely benefited from geochemical modeling tools despite their ease of use. Accordingly, this paper aims to strengthen the upstream geochemical assessment via parametric analysis that simulates the effect of various mineral assemblages on leachate quality recovered from weathering cells. The main objective is to simulate the pH in presence of silicate neutralizing minerals and Mn release from carbonates based upon minimal characterization data. The public domain code PHREEQC was used for geochemical kinetic modeling of four weathering cells. The kinetic model utilized a water film concept to simulate diffusion of chemical elements from mineral surfaces to the pore water. The obtained results suggest that the presence of the silicate neutralizing minerals slightly affects the Mn release from carbonates. Furthermore, plagioclases could supply a significant neutralization potential when they predominate the mineral assemblage. Finally, coupling weathering cell test and parametric analyses illuminate the pH evolution for various mineral proportion scenarios.

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Upstream environmental desulphurisation and valorisation of waste rocks as a sustainable AMD management approach

Cited by 17 publications

References 57 publications

Laboratory Study on the Effectiveness of Limestone and Cementitious Industrial Products for Acid Mine Drainage Remediation

Laboratory Study on the Effectiveness of Limestone and Cementitious Industrial Products for Acid Mine Drainage Remediation

Evaluation of the Anthropogenic Metal Pollution at Osisko Lake: Sediments Characterization for Reclamation Purposes

Incorporating Kinetic Modeling in the Development Stages of Hard Rock Mine Projects

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