It describes how to predict, prevent, and remediate the environmental impact of acid drainage and. This is the first draft, and we want kids to help write. The rates of chemical reactions equations 2, 3, and. An introduction to acid mine drainage wv department of.
Groundwater monitoring wells from active mines and tailings piles showed ph interval and chemical concentrations similar to those of mine drainage. Acid mine drainage may form within mine wastes tailings and rock dumps that are impacted with surface water or in underground workings groundwater, and. The microbiology of acid mine drainage by jim taylor, p. There is actually a complex series of reactions and side reactions, but the net equation is often written according to equation 1. Fundamentals of minedrainage formation and chemistry. Wildeman billings symposium asmr annual meeting assessing the toxicity potential of mine waste piles workshop june 1, 2003 u. Ard is often mislabelled amd or acid mine drainage too.
Treatment of acid mine lakes lab and field studies tu freiberg. Pdf acid mine drainage amd occurs after mining exposes metal sulfides to. The south african government and nongovernmental organizations response to amd is assessed, as well the. Geochemistry of acid mine drainage from a coal mining area.
Pdf acid mine drainage treatment with chemicals jeff. The role of acidophilic protozoa and other indigenous microflora. In examining this table, it is important to note that diffusion of oxygen into water is slow and, therefore, oxidation of iron sulfide is inhibited until the water level drops, which can occur periodically or seasonally in some cases. As a result, the water becomes very acidic and damages downstream aquatic ecosystems. Lovett department of chemistry west virginia university morgantown, wv 26506 i. Chemical composition of the acid mine lake water 112007 34. Acid mine drainage in south africa development actors. Mine drainage is formed when pyrite an iron sulfide is exposed and reacts with air and water to form sulfuric acid and dissolved iron. Evolution of acid mine drainage formation in sulphidic mine. Provides the tools needed to analyze and solve acid drainage problems featuring contributions from leading experts in science and engineering, this book explores the complex biogeochemistry of acid mine drainage, rock drainage, and acid sulfate soils. This is a natural chemical reaction which can proceed when minerals are exposed to air and water.
The ph scale actually measures hydrogen ion concentration in water solutions. Effects of mine related drainage on water chemistry of receiving streams and thomas hill reservoir 20 north fork claybank creek basin 20 low base flow 20 high base flow 22. Pdf acid mine drainage formation, control and treatment. Acidic mine drainage and similar wastewaters such as leachates from acid sulphate soils are a major cause of ground and surface water pollution in the european union.
Acid mine drainage prediction compares acid rock drainage factors of waste rock piles and tailings impoundments. Fundamentals of minedrainage formation and chemistry kathleen s. Acid mine drainage an overview sciencedirect topics. In some regions, it is the most common form of stream and river pollution. Acid mine drainage boat of knowledge ohio university.
Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by crossref and updated daily. Featuring contributions from leading experts in science and engineering, this book explores the complex biogeochemistry of acid mine drainage, rock drainage, and acid sulfate soils. Passive treatments utilize naturally available energy sources, such as gravity, microbial metabolic energy and photosynthesis, for the. Acid mine drainage research acid mine drainage amd has been the subject of intensive research since the 1960s. Major environmental incidents caused by acid mine drainage. Handson experiments to test for acid mine drainage dr. Mine drainage is metalrich water formed from chemical reaction between water and rocks containing sulfurbearing minerals. Characterization of mine waste and acid mine drainage. Introduction manganese is a common component of both neutral and acid mine drainage. Ziemkiewicz and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Acid mine drainage amd is a problem occurring across the globe, including in southeastern ohio. Most discussions on acid mine drainage refer to the physical process of oxidation while the role of microorganisms is left unnoticed.
Causes, assessment, prediction, prevention, and remediation. Pdf acid mine drainage control and treatment researchgate. Acid mine drainage abatement and treatment plans odnr mineral. Chemistry, effects and treatment, the authors present preventive techniques that can be used in conjunction with active and passive techniques for the treatment of acidic effluents. The acid runoff further dissolves heavy metals such as copper, lead, and mercury into groundwater or. Acid mine drainage mine drainage rock phosphate silica coating pyrite oxidation. Acid mine drainage project lab chemistry libretexts. The term mine impacted water is used because it is more inclusive than terms such as acid mine drainage amd or acid rock drainage ard. Acid mine drainage overview acid rock drainage ard is produced by the oxidation of sulfide minerals, chiefly iron pyrite or iron disulfide fes2. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days. This is a prototype for a new book we want to write for kids.
Overview of acid mine drainage treatment with chemicals acid. So, to better understand amd and ard, lets begin by defining some terms like ph the standard measure of acidity. Coal mine drainage prediction and pollution prevention in pennsylvania keith b. Acidic mining lakes acid mine drainage, limnology and. Provides the tools needed to analyze and solve acid drainage problems. In a nutshell, acid mine drainage is a form of water pollution that happens when rain, runoff, or streams come in contact with rock that is rich in sulfur. Hydrated lime is the most commonly used chemical for treating amd and is. Bacteriological investigations of mine water from lignite pits in denmark. This guidance document provides the framework for the acid mine drainage and. Acid mine drainage, acid and metalliferous drainage amd, or acid rock drainage ard is the outflow of acidic water from metal mines or coal mines acid rock drainage occurs naturally within some environments as part of the rock weathering process but is exacerbated by largescale earth disturbances characteristic of mining and other large construction activities. Geological survey 956 national center reston, va 20192. January 1996 acid mine drainage is a common problem in many parts of the country, originating from hardrock mines, strip mines or tailing piles.
This results primarily from the oxidative breakdown of transition metal sulfides, especially pyrite fes 2. Although acid mine drainage is the most common impact of mining on water quality, the variety of mineral geology is such that there is no singlecharacteristic mine water. Effective treatment options for acid mine drainage in the. This laboratory project uses the context of acid mine drainage to teach concepts important to analytical chemistry and quantitative analysis. Because such pollution can persist for decades and even centuries after the cessation of industrial activity, there is a pressing need to develop cheap, sustainable remedial. Problems that can be associated with mine drainage include contaminated drinking water, disrupted growth and reproduction of aquatic plants and animals, and the corroding effects of the acid on parts of infrastructures such as bridges. Certain southern west virginia drainages which are not acidic contain more than the maximum allowable. It provides a background to amd and its impactsfrom a social science perspective.
However, acid mine drainage eventually leaves its mark. Sulfide oxidation, the mechanism for acid drainage, is a portion of that important sulphur chemistry that is an abundant source of energy to microbes and is also a major biochemical reaction in the changing geochemistry on earth. Removal of manganese from acid mine drainage raymond j. Mine drainage is metalrich water formed from a chemical reaction between water and rocks containing sulfurbearing minerals. Acid rock drainage as a concern and part of all metals and mining operations. Acid drainage influence on the water and sediment quality was investigated in a coal mining area southern brazil. It is primarily a legacy issue resulting from the days of coal mining when problems of this nature were. Hornberger pennsylvania department of environmental protection, harrisburg, pa introduction the book coal mine drainage prediction and pollution prevention in pennsylvania had its. Illustrated with dozens of photographs, charts, tables and maps, the book is a compendium of 36 scientific papers written by various experts that cover these complex topics. However, bioelectrochemical system bes is a promising technology to simultaneously remove and.
Thus, this study applied some simple testing methods to. Coal mine drainage prediction and pollution prevention in penn. Since the passage of smcra in 1977, coal mine operators. The geochemistry of acid mine drainage request pdf. Department of the interior colorado school of mines u. Acid mine drainage formation and chemistry today acid mine drainage is a fairly well understood phenomenon. Acid mine drainage amd is a typical source of environmental pollution ascribing to its characteristics of high acidity and heavy metal content. Characterization of mine waste rocks and prediction of acid mine drainage amd play an important role in preventing amd. Acid mine drainage is acidic water laden with iron, sulfate, and other metals that forms under natural. You can see from equation 1 that in order for these reactions to happen, the pyrite must be exposed to both air and mining is one of south africas most important industries, but it comes with a cost.
Mine acid drainage mad is the runoff produced when water comes into contact with exposed rocks containing sulfurbearing minerals that react with water and air to form sulfuric acid, dissolved fe and al, and other chemical elements blowes et al. Although hightech analytical methods have been highlighted for mineral characterization and quantification, simple testing methods are still practical ways to perform in a field laboratory in mines. The chemical and physical changes to the stream from mine drainage. Acid mine drainage mines built as early as the 1800s were developed in a manner which utilized gravity drainage, to avoid excessive water accumulation in the mines as a result, water polluted by acid, iron, sulfur and aluminum drained away from the mines and into streams results of acid mine drainage. The chemistry of oxidation of pyrites, the production of.
Introduction the mining of coal deposits and metal ores often results in a phenomenon called acid mine drainage amd. We also acknowledge previous national science foundation support under grant numbers. The chemicals allow copper minerals to rise to the top and stick to. Acidic mining lakes book subtitle acid mine drainage, limnology and. Research efforts have proceeded recently through the acid drainage technology initiative. This springerbrief focuses on acid mine drainage amd in the three basins in the witwatersrand, south africa. Sources of coalmine drainage and their effects on surface. The life cycle of acid mine drainage copper ore from arizona concentrating ground up rock is mixed with water, air bubbles and small amounts of chemicals. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view. Some or all of this iron can precipitate to form the red, orange, or yellow sediments in the bottom of streams containing mine drainage. Currently, most strategies for amd treatment merely focus on metal removal rather than metal recovery.
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