Acid mine drainage activation mechanism on lime-depressed pyrite flotation from copper sulfide ore

The lime-depressed pyrite from Cu differential flotation tailings with acid mine drainage(AMD)as a natural activator was recovered.The effect of AMD on lime-depressed pyrite flotation was investigated by a series of laboratory flotation tests and surface analytical techniques.Flotation test results indicated that AMD could effectively activate the pyrite flotation with a sodium butyl xanthate(SBX)collector,and a high-quality sulfur concentrate was obtained.Pulp ion concentration analysis results indicated that AMD facilitated desorption of Ca^(2+)and adsorption of Cu^(2+)on the depressed-pyrite surface.Adsorption measurements and contact angle analysis results confirmed that adding AMD improved the adsorption amount of SBX collector on the pyrite surface and increased the contact angle by 31°.Results of Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that AMD treatment promoted the formation of hydrophobic species(S^(0) hydrophobic entity and copper sulfides)and the removal of hydrophilic calcium and iron species on the pyrite surface,which reinforced the adsorption of collector.The findings of the present research provide important theoretical basis and technical support for a cleaner production of copper sulfide ores.

A cleaner production strategy for acid mine drainage prevention of waste rock:A porphyry copper case

An in-process technology approach is proposed to identify the source of acid mine drainage(AMD)generation and prevent its formation in a porphyry copper waste rock(WR).Adopting actions before stockpiling the WR enables the establishment of potential contaminants and predicts the more convenient method for AMD prevention.A WR sample was separated into size fractions,and the WR’s net acidgenerating potential was quantified using chemical and mineralogical characterization.The diameter of physical locking of sulfides(DPLS)was determined,and the fractions below the DPLS were desulfurized using flotation.Finally,the WR fractions and tailing from the flotation test were submitted to acid-base accounting and weathering tests to evaluate their acid-generating potential.Results show that the WR’s main sulfide mineral is pyrite,and the DPLS was defined as 850μm.A sulfide recovery of 91%was achieved using a combination of HydroFloat^(®)and Denver cells for a size fraction lower than DPLS.No grinding was conducted.The results show that size fractions greater than DPLS and the desulfurized WR are unlikely to produce AMD.The outcomes show that in-processing technology can be a more proactive approach and an effective tool for avoiding AMD in a porphyry copper WR.

Removal of Copper from Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) or Acid Rock Drainage (ARD)

Acid mine drainage is wastewater from a mine having a low pH and an elevated level of dissolved heavy metals. These metals are harmful to aquatic, animal and human life. This paper looks at the removal of copper from acid mine drainage using ion exchange to less than 1 mg/l. A weak acidic cation resin was used. Spectrophotometric determination of copper with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate was used to determine the copper concentrations in the treated water. Using regression analysis, the experimental results gave a correlation coefficient of 0.977 and a coefficient of determination of 99.5%. Results indicated that the higher the flows rate the shorter the period after which the copper concentration in the treated water reaches 1 mg/l. At pH 3.85 and 5.09, the resin performed better and at pH above 6.62 and between pH 3.0 and below the resin’s does not perform well. The higher the resin height the greater is the resin exchange capacity and the longer it takes for the copper concentration to reach 1 mg/l in the treated water. The higher the wastewater copper concentration the shorter the time it takes the resin to reach 1 mg/l. The results for this experiment indicated that acid mine drainage can be treated well by ion exchange resins, but it is also very important to establish suitable operating conditions.

Coal-derived humic acid for application in acid mine drainage(AMD)water treatment and electrochemical devices

In this research work,isolation of humic acid from coal of Northeastern region of India is reported.The study is also targeted for application of the coal-derived humic acid in acid mine drainage(AMD)water treatment and electrochemical devices.All the obtained results are compared with the standard humic acid and examined the formation of humic acid from the coal.The isolated coal-derived humic acid is found to be high degree of humifications and relatively stable up to about 200℃.The FTIR study indicates the formation of metal-humic acid complexes.On treatment with acidic water(AMD),the coal-derived humic acid was found to have the ability to remove toxic metal such as(in order)Pb>Cu>Zn>Cd.In addition,the preliminary electrochemical properties of the isolated humic acid are also discussed in the paper.The specific capacitance of the isolated coal-derived humic acid via cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge analysis is found to be 7 mF/g at scan rate 10 mV/s and 22 mF/g within the potential window 0.4 V,respectively.The charge-discharge cycles are stable for more than 1000 cycles within the potential window 0.4 V.This study will create a new pathway for the further research in this field.

The Key Factor of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) in the History of the Contribution of Mining Industry to the Prosperity of the United States and South Africa: A Review

Mining industry has significantly contributed to the prosperity of the nation with economic growth, whereas mining operation has caused Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) with the abandonment of mines. As some researchers suggest, the history of AMD is, generally, affected by the change in not only mining industry but also in social and economic conditions. Thus, historical analysis is an effective way to find the key factors of AMD. In this study, in order to find the key factors of AMD, we examine the history of the United States (U.S.) and South Africa, where their economy had been developed owing to the large-scale mining, based on the findings in the previous studies. The results indicated that the abandoned mines due to the economic depression triggered AMD in the U.S. and South Africa. While the U.S. had progressively adopted anti-AMD methods in terms of prevention, prediction, and remediation (PPR) as a comprehensive approach, especially since the 1970s onwards because of the rise of environmental consciousness as well as strict regulations, South Africa is at the early stage of implementing the regulations following PPR. The public attention should be directed to environmental conservation in addition to the implementation of the regulations in South Africa. The improvement in socio-economic conditions is, additionally, necessary for the rise of environmental consciousness in South Africa in the light of the three pillars of sustainable development: social, economic, and environmental elements.

Diversity of microbial community at acid mine drainages from Dachang metals-rich mine, China

Two acid mine drainage(AMD)samples TS and WK,which were from the Dachang metals-rich mine in Guangxi province,China,were studied using PCR-based cloning approach.A total of 44 operational taxonomic units(OTUs)were obtained from the two AMD samples.However,only three OTUs(GXDC-9,GXDC-19 and GXDC-50)detected in sample TS can also be observed in sample WK.Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the bacteria in the two samples fell into four putative divisions,which were Nitrospira,Alphaproteobacteria,Gamaproteobacteria,and Acidobacteria.Organisms of genuses Acidithiobacillus and Leptospirillum,which were in gamaproteobacteria class and Nitrospira family,were dominant in two samples,respectively.In sample TS,which was characterized by low pH,high sulfate,high iron,and high arsenide,two species(Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans)constituted 98.22% of the entire microbial community.Compared with sample TS,the microbial community in sample WK was more diversified according to the observation.Interestedly,the Legionella species,which was rarely observed in the low-pH environment,was detected in sample WK.This work helps us to further understand the diversity of microbial community living in extreme acid mine drainages with unique geochemistry and the tolerance capability of acidophiles to heavy metal.

Archaeal and bacterial communities in acid mine drainage from metal-rich abandoned tailing ponds, Tongling, China

To expand knowledge on microbial communities of various metal-rich levels of mine drainage environments in Anhui province, China, the archaeal and bacterial diversities were examined using a PCR-based cloning approach. Eight acid mine water samples were collected from five areas in Tongling. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that bacteria mainly fell into ten divisions, which were Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Deinococcus-Thermus, Nitrospira, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi. Archaea fell into three phylogenetic divisions, Thermoplasma, Ferroplasma and Thermogymnomonas. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean（UPGMA） cluster analysis based on the microbial communities’ compositions revealed that five samples shared similarity with the dominance of Meiothermus and Thermomonas. Two samples had the preponderant existence of Acidithiobacillus and Leptospirillum. The remaining sample owned higher microbial communities’ diversity with the Shannon-Weaver H up to 2.91. Canonical correlation analysis（CCA） suggested that microbial community structures had great association with p H and the concentration of Hg2＋, Pb2＋, Fe3＋, Cl-, SO2- 4in water.

Acidophilic bacterial community reflecting pollution level of sulphide mine impacted by acid mine drainage

To reveal the impact of mining on bacterial ecology around mining area,bacterial community and geochemical characteristics about Dabaoshan Mine(Guangdong Province,China)were studied.By amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and phylogenetic analysis,it is found that mining pollution greatly impacts the bacterial ecology and makes the habitat type of polluted environments close to acid mine drainage(AMD)ecology.The polluted environment is acidified so greatly that neutrophil and alkaliphilic microbes are massively dead and decomposed.It provided organic matters that can make Acidiphilium sp.rapidly grow and become the most bacterial species in this niche.Furthermore,Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum sp.are also present in this niche.The amount of Leptospirillum sp.is far more than that of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans,which indicates that the concentration of toxic ions is very high.The conclusions of biogeochemical analysis and microbiological monitor are identical. Moreover,because the growth of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum sp.depends on ferrous iron or inorganic redox sulfur compounds which can be supplied by continual AMD,their presence indicates that AMD still flows into the site.And the area is closer to the outfalls of AMD,their biomasses would be more.So the distinction of their biomasses among different areas can help us to find the effluent route of AMD.

Inhibition of acid mine drainage and immobilization of heavy metals from copper flotation tailings using a marble cutting waste

Acid mine drainage （AMD） with high concentrations of sulfates and metals is generated by the oxidation of sulfide beating wastes. CaCO3-rich marble cutting waste is a residual material produced by the cutting and polishing of marble stone. In this study, the feasibility of using the marble cutting waste as an acid-neutralizing agent to inhibit AMD and immobilize heavy metals from copper flotation tailings （sul- fide-beating wastes） was investigated. Continuous-stirring shake-flask tests were conducted for 40 d, and the pH value, sulfate content, and dissolved metal content of the leachate were analyzed every 10 d to determine the effectiveness of the marble cutting waste as an acid neu- tralizer. For comparison, CaCO3 was also used as a neutralizing agent. The average pH value of the leachate was 2.1 at the beginning of the experiment （t = 0）. In the experiment employing the marble cutting waste, the pH value of the leachate changed from 6.5 to 7.8, and the sul- fate and iron concentrations decreased from 4558 to 838 mg/L and from 536 to 0.01 mg/L, respectively, after 40 d. The marble cutting waste also removed more than 80wt% of heavy metals （Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn） from AMD generated by copper flotation tailings.

养殖废水对AMD重金属的处理效果及去除机制

文章研究牛粪发酵前后产物与酸性矿山废水(acid mine drainage,AMD)共处理过程及处理效果。结果表明,牛粪及发酵后产物(沼液)均对AMD具有不同程度的处理效果;处理前期,牛粪组R1和沼液组R2的pH值从3.07分别迅速升高到4.01和3.85,直至实验结束时pH值略有下降,分别达到3.91和3.47;酸度分别下降49.8%和44.83%。R1组Fe、Zn、Cu、Mn、Al等金属离子质量浓度分别下降72.34%、83.79%、96.48%、17.2%、46.89%;R2组Fe、Cu、Mn、Al质量浓度分别下降96.27%、61.40%、13.92%、48.19%。X射线衍射(X-ray diffraction,XRD)扫描结果表明2组实验对金属的去除主要以共沉淀为主,但在R1组中发现微生物可能对处理过程具有较大的推动作用。2组实验均对AMD具有较好修复效果,在利用养殖废水处理AMD具有很好的应用前景。

Acid Mine Drainage and Heavy Metal Pollution from Solid Waste in the Tongling Mines, China

Based on investigation of the characteristics of solid waste of two different mines, the Fenghuangshan copper mine and the Xinqiao pyrite mine in Tongling, Anhui province in central-east China, the possibility and the differences of acid mine drainage （AMD） of the railings and the waste rocks are discussed, and the modes of occurrence of heavy metal elements in the mine solid waste are also studied. The Fenghuangshan copper mine hardly produces AMD, whereas the Xinqiao pyrite mine does and there are also differences in the modes of occurrence of heavy metal elements in the railings. For the former, toxic heavy metals such as Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As and Hg exist mostly in the slag mode, as compared to the latter, where the deoxidization mode has a much higher content, indicating that large amounts minerals in the waste rocks have begun to oxidize at the earth surface. AMD is proved to promote the migration and spread of the heavy metals in mining waste rocks and lead to environmental pollution of the surroundings of the mine area.

Removal of Copper Ions from Acid Mine Drainage Wastewater Using Ion Exchange Technique: Factorial Design Analysis

A factorial experimental design method was used to examine the “Cu2+” removal from acid mine drainage wastewater by ion exchange technique. Ion Exchange technique is preferred because of reduced sludge generation compared to conventional treatment techniques and better decontamination efficiency from highly diluted solutions. Factorial design of experiments is employed to study the effect of four factors pH (3, 5, and 6), flow rate (5, 10, 15 L/hr), resin bed height (20, 40 and 60 cm) and initial concentration of the metal (100, 150 and 200 mgl-1) at three levels. The efficiency of metal removal was determined after 100 min of treatment. Main effects and interaction effects of the four factors were analyzed using statistical techniques. A regression model was recommended and it was found to fit the experimental data very well. The results were analyzed statistically using the Student’s t-test, analysis of variance, F-test and lack of fit to define most important process variables affecting the percentage “Cu2+” removal. In this study , pH was thus found to be the most important variable.

Acid mine drainage and heavy metal contamination in groundwater of metal sulfide mine at arid territory (BS mine,Western Australia)

The issues of acid mine drainage （AMD） and heavy metals contamination in the metal sulfide mine in the add district were explored, through studying the acidification and the heavy metals distribution and evolution of groundwater in the black swan （BS） nickel sulfide mine （Western Australia）. The groundwater samples were collected from the drilling holes situated in the vicinity of tailings storage facility （TSF） and in the background of the mine （away from TSF）, respectively, and the pH and electric conductivity （Ec） were measured in site and the metal contents were analysed by ICP-MS and ICP-AES, quarterly in one hydrological year. The results disclose that the TSF groundwater is remarkably acidified （.pHmean=5, pHmin=3）, and the average contents of heavy metals （Co, Cu, Zn, Cd） and Al, Mn are of 1-2 orders of magnitude higher in TSF groundwater than in background groundwater. It may be due to the percolation of tailings waste water from miU process, which leads the tailings to oxidize and the deep groundwater to acidify and contaminate with heavy metals. Besides, the heavy metals concentration in groundwater may be controlled by pH mainly.

Effect of hydraulic retention time and pH on oxidation of ferrous iron in simulated ferruginous acid mine drainage treatment with inoculation of iron-oxidizing bacteria

The effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and pH on the biooxidation of ferrous iron during simulated acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment was investigated.The simulated AMD was highly acidic (pH 2.5), rich in iron (about 1700 mg/L) and copper (about 200 mg/L), and contained high concentrations of sulfate (about 4700 mg/L).The biooxidation of ferrous iron was studied in a laboratory-scale upflow packed bed bioreactor (PBR).The HRT was shortened stepwise from 40 h to 20 h, 13 h, and 8 h under the acidic environment at a pH value of 2.2.Then, the influent pH value was changed from 2.2 to 1.2 at a constant suitable HRT.Physiochemical and microbial community structure analyses were performed on water samples and stuffing collected from the bioreactor under different conditions.The results indicate that the efficiency of ferrous iron oxidation gradually decreased with the decrease of HRT, and when the HRT exceeded 13 h, ferrous iron in AMD was almost completely oxidized.In addition, the best efficiency of ferrous iron oxidation was achieved at the influent pH value of 1.8.Microbial community structure analyses show that Leptospirillum is the predominant genus attached in the bioreactor, and low influent pH values are suitable for the growth of Leptospirillum.

Sulfide mineral bioleaching:Understanding of microbe-chemistry assisted hydrometallurgy technology and acid mine drainage environment protection

Bioleaching is regarded as an essential technology to treat low grade minerals,with the distinctive superiorities of lower-cost and environment-friendly compared with traditional pyrometallurgy method.However,the bioleaching efficiency is unsatisfactory owing to the passivation film formed on the minerals surface.It is of particular interest to know the dissolution and passivation mechanism of sulfide minerals in the presence of microorganism.Although bioleaching can be useful in extracting metals,it is a double-edged sword.Metallurgical activities have caused serious environmental problems such as acid mine drainage(AMD).The understanding of some common sulfide minerals bioleaching processes and protection of AMD environment is reviewed in this article.

16s rDNA based microbial diversity analysis of eleven acid mine drainages obtained from three Chinese copper mines

Eleven acid mine drainage （AMD） samples were obtained from southeast of China for the analysis of the microbial communities diversity, and the relationship with geochemical variables and spatial distance by using a culture-independent 16S rDNA gene phylogenetic analysis approach and multivariate analysis respectively. The principle component analysis （PCA） of geochemical variables shows that eleven AMDs can be clustered into two groups, relative high and low metal rich （RHMR and RLMR） AMDs. Total 1691 clone sequences are obtained and the detrended correspondence analysis （DCA） of operational taxonomic units （OTUs） shows that, ~,-Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes and Nitrospirae are dominant species in RHMR AMDs. In contrast, a-Proteobacteria, fl-Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes and Bacteriodetes are dominant species in RLMR AMD. Results also show that high-abundance putative iron-oxidizing and only putative sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms are found in RHMR AMD. Multivariate analysis shows that both geochemical variables （r=0.429 3, P=-0.037 7） and spatial distance （r=0.321 3, P=-0.018 1） are significantly positively correlated with microbial community and pH, Mg, Fe, S, Cu and Ca are key geochemistry factors in shaping microbial community. Variance partitioning analysis shows that geochemical variables and spatial distance can explain most （92%） of the variation.

An effective way to treat the iron-rich acid mine drainage from coal mining in Guizhou’s mountainous areas

Acid Mine Drainage(AMD)from coal mining is a serious environmental issue which affects water quality,ecology,and the overall landscape of the basin.A large number of coal mine tailings in the mountainous regions of Guizhou Province,China were unattended and iron-rich AMD was directly discharged to the rivers.This discharge leaves the river―yellow‖and heavily polluted.This study tries to find an efficient and economical method for treating iron-rich AMD.We sampled AMD water in two sites:Yangliujie town of Duyun city(hereafter,called Yangliujie),and Xinglong Coal Mine,Duliu town of Guiding county(hereafter,called Xinglong).We performed iron removal laboratory experiment with Cement-Bentonite Agent(CBA,80%cement and 20%bentonite)in 500 mL AMD water from Yangliujie,scale-up experiment in 15 L AMD water from both Yangliujie and Xinglong,and engineering application in Xinglong respectively.Laboratory experiment results showed the iron removal rate can reach 99.8%and the removal rate depends on the CBA dosage and the treatment time.In the scale-up experiment,we found that Fe concentration could be reduced from 587.0 to 0.2 mg/L when adding 20 g/L CBA to the AMD water and aerating for 3 hours.As sampled water in Xinglong has a very high Fe concentration(Fe 1019.8 mg/L)and the concentration varies with seasons,it is not economical to add the CBA directly to the AMD water.Considering the abundant and cheap limestone resources in Guizhou,we used a twostep treatment method,first we added CaCO3 to raise the pH,and then we took the supernatant liquor and added CBA to the liquor.It was shown that 15 g/L of CBA was a good dosage for iron removal with Fe concentration being reduced from 1019.8 to 0.3 mg/L when CaCO3 was used to raise the pH.The best treatment realized over 99.9%iron removal,99.2%NH3-N removal,98.9%CODMn removal,and heavy metals in the treated water were reduced to under the limit stipulated in the―Environmental Quality Standards of Surface Water in China‖.Thus in the engineering application,we used this two-step treatment method.After the treatment,the pH of the iron-rich AMD(pH 2.86,Fe 2624.6 mg/L)increased to 8.53,the concentration of Fe was reduced to 59.5 mg/L,NH3-N decreased from 16.15 to less than 0.05 mg/L,CODMn decreased from 323.33 to 24.57 mg/L,heavy metals except Fe and Mn were reduced to under the limit of surface water.In conclusion,the use of CBA can effectively remove Fe and other heavy metals from the iron-rich AMD and adjust the pH value to the range of a natural water body.

Erosion characteristic of slope sandstone soaking in acid mine drainage

Acid mine drainage（AMD） is one of the main reasons of slope instability in chemical mines with high sulfide. The pH values of the solution inside the mining pit decrease with the increasing of distance from ore body and vary from 1.2 to 4.6, according to the results of the water environmental investigation and the composition test of the slope sandstone in Xinqiao Pyrite Mine. Comparative experiments between original sandstone and AMD eroded sandstone samples show that after AMD erosion the uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus decrease by 30%-50% and 25%-45%, respectively, the cohesion and internal friction angle decrease obviously, and the Poisson ratio fluctuates between 0.20-0.29. The greater joints development, the higher residual stress after peak value, and the longer time to damage. Besides above, the reaction mechanism analysis of AMD eroded sandstone shows that the fillings in joints and fissures of sandstone are frequently decomposed and polyreacted, resulting in changes of interior molecule structure and fi＇amework composition, and decreases of cohesion and angle of internal friction between rock structure interfaces.

Inhibition of hematite on acid mine drainage caused by chalcopyrite biodissolution

Even though biodissolution of chalcopyrite is considered to be one of the key contributors in the formation of acid mine drainage(AMD),there are few studies to control AMD by inhibiting chalcopyrite biodissolution.Therefore,a novel method of using hematite to inhibit chalcopyrite biodissolution was proposed and verified.The results indicated that chalcopyrite biodissolution could be significantly inhibited by hematite,which consequently decreased the formation of AMD.In the presence of hematite,the final biodissolution rate of chalcopyrite decreased from 57.9%to 44.4%at 20 day.This in turn suggested that the formation of AMD was effectively suppressed under such condition.According to the biodissolution results,mineral composition and morphology analyses,and electrochemical analysis,it was shown that hematite promoted the formation and accumulation of passivation substances(jarosite and Cu2-xS)on chalcopyrite surface,thus inhibiting the biodissolution of chalcopyrite and limiting the formation of AMD.

A novel acidophile community populating waste ore deposits at an acid mine drainage site

Waste ore samples （pH 3.0） were collected at an acid mine drainage （AMD） site in Anhui, China. The present acidophillc microbial community in the waste ore was studied with 16S rRNA gene clone library and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE）. Eighteen different clones were identified and affiliated withActinobacteria, low G ＋ C Gram-positives, Thermomicrobia, Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, candidate division TM7, and Planctomycetes. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a diversity of acidophiles in the samples that were mostly novel. It is unexpected that the moderately thermophilic acidophiles were abundant in the acidic ecosystem and may play a great role in the generation of AMD. The result of DGGE was consistent with that of clone library analysis. These findings help in the better understanding of the generation mechanism of AMD and in developing a more efficient method to control AMD.