Acid mine drainage is a major problem with many hardrock mines. Pdf acid mine drainage management in indonesian mines. Treatment of acid mine drainage with sulphatereducing. The discharge took place in april 1994 when a containment structure failed, releasing the mine drainage into the creek. Acid mine drainage treatment, east rand, south africa amd waters in the rio tinto, spain 3. Options for treating acid mine drainage at stockton mine. Many streams derived from acid mine drainage are largely devoid of life for a. Slag leach beds are a promising low cost and low maintenance technology for the remediation of amd compared to potentially expensive and maintain once intensive conventional active methods that entail addition of chemicals to treat amd. Aug 16, 2015 the formation of acid mine drainage amd, a highly acidic and metalrich solution, is the biggest environmental concern associated with coal and mineral mining. Acid mine drainage solutions for the mineral industry. Pdf acid mine drainage formation, control and treatment. Preventive techniques for acid mine drainage in mining areas with high concentrations of pollutants, amd treatment costs can have a significant impact on the economic performance, even to compromise the project viability, so that, amd formation should be prevented. Available acid mine drainage remediation options johnson, et al. Amd or acid rock drainage ard, collectively called acid drainage ad, is acidic water ph less than 5.
Addressing acid mine drainage improves water quality in black branch and cane creek epa 841f16001dd author. Treating acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in remote areas. Hence, implementations of effective postmining management practices are necessary to. Innovative treatment technologies notice this document was prepared by a national network of environmental management studies grantee under a fellowship from the u. Acid mine drainage amd refers to the outflow of acidic water from a mining site. Some or all of this iron can precipitate to form the red, orange, or yellow sediments in the bottom of. Acid mine drainage prevention and control options nural kuyucak golder associates ltd.
This paper describes acid mine drainage amd generation and its associated technical issues. Streams are sometimes rerouted to avoid contact with tailings piles. This paper focusses on the description of reliable, safe and economical treatment of mine water from different types of mines and applications by advanced membrane systems. Acid mine drainage amd is a major problem all over the world, especially where coal and gold mine activities are common. Ohio department of natural resources division of mineral. Acid mine drainage treatment with open limestone channels paul f. Box 18070 pittsburgh, pa 15236 the passive treatment of contaminated coal mine drainage is a rapidly growing and evolving technology. Acid mine drainage treatment westech engineering, inc. As such, it is critical that chemical usage be optimized. A northeast acid mine drainage amd treatment facility was using calcium hydroxide lime to. In colorado alone there are over 30,000 abandoned mines.
Designing and sizing passive mine drainage treatment systems robert s. Because acid mine drainage can destroy a streams aquatic community for miles, many of the old mining sites are being reclaimed. In most cases, this acid comes primarily from oxidation of iron sulfide fes2, also known as pyrite or fools gold, which is often found in conjunction with valuable metals. In many cases, chemical consumption is the number one operating cost of an acid mine drainage treatment system. 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. Techniques to correct and prevent acid mine drainage. Federal and state agencies collaborated to remediate acid mine drainage in the watershed using treatment technology and site restoration.
Treating acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in remote. This guidance document provides the framework for the acid mine drainage and. The acidic water formed by this process can dissolve many metals in bioavailable. Acid mine drainage amd has been a detrimental byproduct of coal mining for many years. When appropriately designed and maintained, passive systems can provide longterm, efficient, and effective treatment for many acid mine drainage amd sources. Effective treatment options for acid mine drainage in the. Acid mine drainage to the flow of water out of a mine that has a very high acidiclow ph after being in contact with air and metal. Case studies providing acid mine drainage water treatment. Jul 11, 20 process of acid mine drainage geochemical and microbial reactions during weathering of sulfide minerals pyrite in coal, refuse, or mine overburden oxidation of sulfide minerals in the presence of air, water, and bacteria formation of sulfuric acid and increase in acidity solubilization of metals due to low ph. This is a natural chemical reaction which can proceed. In brief, the major cause is the accelerated oxidation of iron pyrite fes 2 and.
Effective treatment options for acid mine drainage in the coal. Acid mine drainage treatment in fluidizedbed bioreactors. An increase of the ph values in the treated amd was also observed due to the neutralization and increase in buffer capacity in the calcite tailing. New logics v sep has the ability to perform membrane separations not possible using conventional membrane systems. Approaches and strategies article pdf available in the extractive industries and society october 2018 with 1,781 reads how we measure reads. At present, acid mine drainage continues to pose a potential problem in some areas, despite improved prediction and prevention techniques. Since 1994 the abandoned mine drainage treatment plant has been operated by amd inc. Typically, with acid mine water, there is a high amount of co 2 in the waste stream. Treatment of acid mine drainage the problem of acid mine drainage amd has been present since mining activity began thousands of years ago. A bench scale evaluation of organic substrates for use in constructed wetlands for the treatment of acid mine drainage 1991 20355648522.
Mine drainage is formed when pyrite, an iron sulfide, is exposed and reacts with air and water to form sulfuric acid and dissolved iron. Many streams derived from acid mine drainage are largely devoid of life for a long way downstream. Acid mine drainage amd is an environmental pollutant that impairs water resources in mining regions throughout the world. Review of passive systems for acid mine drainage treatment. Mine water treatment solutions for discharge and reuse. The applications include mine drainage water from underground mines, intrusion water in open pit mines and excess water from tailing storage facilities. Review of constructed wetlands for acid mine drainage treatment article pdf available in water 1011. This research focuses on the remediation of acid mine drainage amd using metallurgical slags. Acid mine drainage amd akcil and koldas 2006 is one of the worst risks of rock dumps, which loads acidic drainage with high contents of metallic and nonmetallic elements to the environment.
Treatment of acid mine drainage by the high density sludge process author. Passive treatment of acidmine drainage vtechworks virginia. Skousen national mine land reclamation center and west virginia university abstract acid mine drainage amd is often associated with mining of pyritic coal and metal deposits. Acid mine drainage will continue to be a problem in the future and treatment technologies will be important for everything from the health of the stream and. Acid mine drainage treatment with open limestone channels. Sulfatereducing bacteria srb present a natural way to reverse the damage caused by acid mine drainage. What can be done to prevent or clean up acid mine drainage. As amd is recognized as one of the more serious environmental problems in the mining industry, its causes, prediction and treatment have become the focus of a number of research initiatives commissioned by governments, the mining industry, universities and research establishments, with additional. By far the most common mine drainage problem is that of acid mine drainage amd. Water from bird mine in tire hill, cambria county is pumped from the mines and then treated with quick lime, aerated, settled, and discharged in accordance with. The acidic water formed by this process can dissolve many metals in. Acid mine drainage amd is the flow, or seepage, of polluted water from old mining areas. Acid mine drainage amd akcil and koldas 2006 is one of the worst risks of rock dumps, which loads acidic drainage with high contents of metallic and non metallic elements to the environment.
The high acidity of acid mine drainage and the high amounts of dissolved heavy metals such as copper and zinc generally make acid mine drainage extremely toxic to most organisms pentreath, 1994. Sulfuric acid is produced when water interacts with sulfurbearing materials in the presence of oxygen and common bacteria1. Active treatment of mine drainage requires precipitating metal contaminants from the water and neutralizing acidity hedin and others 1994. Acid mine drainage will continue to be a problem in the future and treatment technologies will be important for everything from the health of the stream and wildlife in it, to human health of those near that water. The ideal neutralization first combines one of the reactants with previously precipitated solids. Passive treatment differs from active treatment by distinguishing between these two objectives. Addressing acid mine drainage improves water quality in. Addressing acid mine drainage improves water quality in black. May 17, 2016 in many cases, chemical consumption is the number one operating cost of an acid mine drainage treatment system. The vegetation and soil work to intercept oxygen entering the subsurface. Review of mine drainage treatment and sludge management operations march 20 nomenclature glossary acid drainage, acid mine drainage amd or acid rock drainage ard a low ph, metalladen, sulphaterich drainage, which may occur during land disturbance such as mining activities, where sulphur or metal sulphides are exposed to atmospheric. Acid mine drainage overview acid rock drainage ard is produced by the oxidation of sulfide minerals, chiefly iron pyrite or iron disulfide fes2. Once amd is generated, it is difficult to control the process and the treatment also requires high cost aguiar et al.
The origin of acidic metalrich mine drainage waters has been described in detail elsewhere e. Process of acid mine drainage geochemical and microbial reactions during weathering of sulfide minerals pyrite in coal, refuse, or mine overburden oxidation of sulfide minerals in the presence of air, water, and bacteria formation of sulfuric acid and increase in acidity solubilization of metals due to low ph. Heavy metals emanating from former mine sites are a major threat to water resources. Treating acid mine drainage from abandoned mines in. Review of mine drainage treatment and sludge management. This seeding provides the opportunity for crystal growth. The acid mine drainage waste is characterized by red water. The simplest treatment is neutralization and clarification. Acid mine drainage biofilm metagenomics ncbi bookshelf. Acid mine drainage research acid mine drainage amd has been the subject of intensive research since the 1960s. Acid mine drainage prediction compares acid rock drainage factors of waste rock piles and tailings impoundments. Wedhartono a and fajrin am 2008 development of passive treatment and the use of coal fly ash in amd control at berau coal mine.
The treatment of acid mine drainage with sulphatereducing bacteria using a twostage bioremediation process showed great capacity to remove high concentrations of sulphate, iron, copper and zinc. Usps acid mine drainage program is a successful, cost effective solution turnkey program reduced chemical expenses, solids, and energy costs. Treatment of acid mine drainage by the high density sludge. Acid mine drainage amd emanating from stockton coal mine and associated historic mines on stockton plateau, new zealand is unique in terms of volume with a mean of approximately 3500 litres a second potentially requiring treatment and peak flows of up to 10,0000 litres a second. What is acid mine drainage amd, why is it such a serious threat to south africa and more importantly why has been it been silenced and kept under wraps by the mining industry and south african government for so long. Water flowing through active or abandoned mine sites can become polluted by the material being mined1. In some instances, daylighting surface mining of an underground mine or past auger mining into final highwall has caused the water quality to change from highly acidic to highly alkaline. Acid mine drainage biofilm this biofilm sequencing project was designed to explore the distribution and diversity of metabolic pathways in acidophilic biofilms e. Where such treatment is required legally, treatment must be efficient. It is possible to passively remove iron contaminants from mine water, but have little effect on the mine.
Individual mine closures have not resulted in massive. In some instances, daylighting surface mining of an underground mine or past auger mining into final highwall has caused the water quality to. 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, usually within rocks. Wastewater treatment systems that are compact, economical, and reliable are now possible for the mining industry. The formation of acid mine drainage amd, a highly acidic and metalrich solution, is the biggest environmental concern associated with coal and mineral mining. Active treatment of mine drainage requires precipitating metal contaminants from the water and neutralizing acidity hedin and others. Passive treatment is most suitable for small to moderate amd discharges of. Request pdf acid mine drainage treatment in fluidizedbed bioreactors by sulfatereducing bacteria. Acid mine drainage formation, control and treatment. Mining activity has disrupted the hydrology of mining areas so badly that it is extremely difficult to predict where water would eventually reemerge. Acid mine drainage abatement and treatment plans odnr mineral. Treatment of acid mine drainage harvard university. Acid mine drainage amd is a national problem, but onethird of waters impacted by that problem are located in pennsylvania, which, after over a century of coal extraction, has produced more coal tonnage than any other state in the u.