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.

Efficient and rapid capture of uranium(Ⅵ) in wastewater via multiamine modified β-cyclodextrin porous polymer

It is quite important to ensure the safety and sustainable development of nuclear energy for the treatment of radioactive wastewater. To treat radioactive wastewater efficiently and rapidly, two multi-amine β-cyclodextrin polymers(diethylenetriamine β-cyclodextrin polymer(DETA-TFCDP) and triethylenetetramine β-cyclodextrin polymer(TETA-TFCDP)) were prepared and applied to capture uranium. Results exhibited that DETA-TFCDP and TETA-TFCDP displayed the advantages of high adsorption amounts(612.2and 628.2 mg·g-1, respectively) and rapid adsorption rates, which can reach(88 ± 1)% of their equilibrium adsorption amounts in 10 min. Moreover, the adsorbent processes of DETA-TFCDP and TETATFCDP on uranium(Ⅵ) followed the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order model, stating they were mainly chemisorption and self-endothermic. Besides, TETA-TFCDP also showed excellent selectivity in the presence of seven competing cations and could be effectively reused five times via Na2CO3as the desorption reagent. Meanwhile, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy illustrated that the enriched multi-amine groups and oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of TETA-TFCDP were the main active sites for capturing uranium(Ⅵ). Hence, multi-amine β-cyclodextrin polymers are a highly efficient, rapid, and promising adsorbent for capturing uranium(Ⅵ)from radioactive wastewater.

CO_(2) mineralization by typical industrial solid wastes for preparing ultrafine CaCO_(3): A review

Mineral carbonation is a promising CO_(2) sequestration strategy that can utilize industrial wastes to convert CO_(2) into high-value CaCO_(3).This review summarizes the advancements in CO_(2) mineralization using typical industrial wastes to prepare ultrafine CaCO_(3).This work surveys the mechanisms of CO_(2) mineralization using these wastes and its capacities to synthesize CaCO_(3),evaluates the effects of carbonation pathways and operating parameters on the preparation of CaCO_(3),analyzes the current industrial application status and economics of this technology.Due to the large amount of impurities in solid wastes,the purity of CaCO_(3) prepared by indirect methods is greater than that prepared by direct methods.Crystalline CaCO_(3) includes three polymorphs.The polymorph of CaCO_(3) synthesized by carbonation process is determined the combined effects of various factors.These parameters essentially impact the nucleation and growth of CaCO_(3) by altering the CO_(2) supersaturation in the reaction system and the surface energy of CaCO_(3) grains.Increasing the initial pH of the solution and the CO_(2)flow rate favors the formation of vaterite,but calcite is formed under excessively high pH.Vaterite formation is favored at lower temperatures and residence time.With increased temperature and prolonged residence time,it passes through aragonite metastable phase and eventually transforms into calcite.Moreover,polymorph modifiers can decrease the surface energy of CaCO_(3) grains,facilitating the synthesis of vaterite.However,the large-scale application of this technology still faces many problems,including high costs,high energy consumption,low calcium leaching rate,low carbonation efficiency,and low product yield.Therefore,it is necessary to investigate ways to accelerate carbonation,optimize operating parameters,develop cost-effective agents,and understand the kinetics of CaCO_(3) nucleation and crystallization to obtain products with specific crystal forms.Furthermore,more studies on life cycle assessment(LCA)should be conducted to fully confirm the feasibility of the developed technologies.

Soil properties in reclaimed farmland by filling subsidence basin due to underground coal mining with mineral wastes in China

Reclaimed mining-induced subsidence area soils (RMSs) could restore soil quality and crop productivity in coal mining area. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of mineral-processing wastes (fly ash vs coal gangue) as backfill substrates on soil chemical and microbial properties in mining-induced subsidence area. A general higher water holding capacity (WHC) and pH had been observed in fly ash than coal gangue reconstructed soil. Soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN), MBC/TOC (total organic carbon) ratio (qmic) were higher under the influence of the fly ash, while contents of As, Cr, C/Nbio, the basal respiration per unit of microbial biomass (QCO2) were higher under the coal gangue reconstructed mode in 0-10, 10-20, 20-50 cm layers. The microbial basal respiration was higher in 0-10, 10-20, 0-50 cm layers, while was lower in 20-50 cm layer under fly ash than that of coal gangue reconstructed mode. The lower QCO2 of fly ash mine soil suggested the lower maintenance energy requirement of the microbial community. Moreover, the contents of metals may possibly have negative implications for soil microbial and enzyme activities in reconstructed soil.

Non-explosive mining and waste utilization for achieving green mining in underground hard rock mine in China

Innovations of mining technologies were proposed by beneficial utilizations of unfavorable factors such as high geostress,high geotemperature and high mining depth to achieve green mining as mining depth increases inevitably.Cuttability of deep hard rock was investigated by experimental and regressed analyses to find the reasonable stress adjustment method to improve non-explosive mechanized fragmentation for hard ore-rock.A non-explosive mechanized and intellectualized mining method was proposed to continuously and precisely exploit phosphate underground,which promoted the high-recovery,low-waste and high-efficiency exploitation of phosphate with recovery rate over 90%,dilution rate near 5%and cutting efficiency about 107.7 t/h.A circular economy model and the backfill system were proposed to conduct resource utilizations of solid waste,by which the utilization amount of waste increased year after year.In 2018,the utilization amounts of phosphogypsum,yellow phosphorus slag and waste rock increased to 1853.6×10^3 t/a,291.1×10^3 t/a and 1493.8×10^3 t/a,respectively.

Natural vegetation recovery on waste dump in opencast coalmine area

The changes of vegetation compositions, plant species diversity, species important value and succession of plant community were studied on waste dumps in Haizhou opencast coalmine which is located in the west of Liaoning Province, China (41°41(-42°56( N, 121°1(-122°56(E). Four kinds of terraces with different ages (5, 10, 20 and 40 years) were selected for investigation of plants. Total of 63 species of natural colonized plants were recorded on the waste dump and they belong to 23 families. The main families were Compositae (15 species), Fabaceae (11 species) and Leguminosae (8 species), which accounted for 54.0% of total species and play an important role in natural vegetation recovery in waste dump area. The dominant species on 5-, 10-, 20-, 40-year-old terraces were Tribulus terrestris + Echinochloa hispidula + Salsola collina, Echinochloa hispidula + Artemisia sieversiana + Artemisia scoparia, Echinochloa hispidula + Clinelymus dahuricus + Artemisia scoparia + Artemisia sieversiana + Melilotus officinalis, Clinelymus dahuricus+Phragmites communis + Echinochloa hispidula+ Setaria viridis, respectively. According to the important value of species calculated. It is determined that Tribulus terrestris can act as pioneer species on waste dump and Clinelymus dahuricus, Phragmites communis and Echinochloah hispidula are important dominant species in vegetation restoration in Haizhou opencast coalmine. The study results can provide scientific basis for selecting and disposing appropriately plant species and rehabilitating vegetation on waste dumps of coalmine.

Response of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and phosphorus solubilizing bacteria to remediation abandoned solid waste of coal mine

Coal is the vital resource of energy in China,but abandoned coal ash and gangue lead to the degradation of vegetation cover and reduce soil quality.Both arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) play a key role in biogeochemical cycle such as soil organic matter decomposition,nutrition release,and energy flow.To improve and reclamation the soil quality and ecological efficiency of the coal mining waste,we investigated the effects of an AMF strain (Glomus mosseae) and a PSB strain (Pantoesstewarti) on phytate mineralization and subsequent transfer to the host plant (Medicago sativa L.) using a two-compartment microcosm with a central 30 mm nylon mesh barrier.The results showed that significantly higher available P (AP),above ground biomass (AGB) and underground biomass (UGB) were in combined inoculation of AMF-PSB than other treatments in root and hyphae compartment.The microbial inoculum of the AMF or PSB had a significant influence on soil acid phosphatase activities (ACP).AMF-PSB enhanced phytate mineralization,improved plant biomass.AP and ACP positively influenced the AGB and UGB.AMF-PSB could be used as bioinoculant to enhance sustainable production of the plant in abandoned solid waste of coal mine.

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.

Solid State Reaction Yielding a Mineral Utilizing Silica Obtained from an Agricultural Waste

Wollastonite, a mineral of wide industrial applications was synthesised from rice husk ash silica and limestone. A number of raw batches consisting of these starting materials, in 1:1 molar ratio, were heat treated to produce it through solid state reaction from 900℃ to 1300℃. The conducted reaction was monitored by XRD step by step. Amount of Wollastonite formed at every temperature was also studied to some extent. Analyses of the obtained data indicated that the target mineral formation was quite effective and almost proportional to a rise in temperature up to 1200℃. The results from both, XRD and chemical analysis were found in fair agreement with one another

A conceptual framework for characterizing mineralized waste rocks as future resource

Conventional mining practices do not extract all mineralized rocks due to prevailing economics.Improvement in mineral prices and processing recovery(technology)could potentially make mineralized waste rocks profitable.A well-integrated mining strategy that focuses on both economic and physical resource depletion is vital to the management of non-renewable mineral resources.In this paper,a conceptual framework that maximizes the benefits of mining and processing mineralized waste rocks as future resource is proposed.Governmental policy and technical reforms that ensure mining companies incorporate the proposed mineralized waste rocks management framework in their long-term strategic mine plans have been recommended.

Comprehensive utilization of solid waste resources: Development of wet shotcrete for mines

The development of solid waste resources as constituent materials for wet shotcrete has significant economic and environmental advantages. In this study, the concept of using tailings as aggregate and fly ash and slag powder as auxiliary cementitious material is proposed and experiments are carried out by response surface methodology(RSM). Multivariate nonlinear response models are constructed to investigate the effect of factors on the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS) of tailings wet shotcrete(TWSC). The UCS of TWSC is predicted and optimized by constructing Gaussian process regression(GPR) and genetic algorithm(GA). The UCS of TWSC is gradually enhanced with the increase of slag powder dosage and fineness modulus, and it is enhanced first and then decreased with the increase of fly ash dosage. The microstructure of TWSC has the highest gray value and the highest UCS when the fly ash dosage is about 120 kg·m^(-3). The GPR–GA model constructed in this study achieves high accuracy prediction and optimization of the UCS of TWSC under multi-factor conditions.

NEW IDEAS AND METHODS ON GEOMECHANICAL SAFETY ANALYSIS OF TOXIC AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE REPOSITORIES IN SALT MINE

In view of the need for geomechanical safety analysis of repositories in salt rock, failure criteria,creep rupture criteria,material models,pillar design methods and criteria for the assessment of barrier efficiency as well as investigations of the interaction between hydraulics and mechanics for the case of uncontrolled flooded repositories are necessary. The introduction of damage mechanics and of the Hou/Lux material model including damages into geomechanical safety analysis of repositories in salt rock can reduce some previous deficits in knowledge and modelling. This article will be as a part of geotechnical assessment to introduce the Hou/Lux material model,a new concept of hydro-mechanical coupling and a pillar design method as well as criteria for the assessment of efficiency of geological barriers.

Effect of loess for preventing contamination of acid mine drainage from coal waste

Acid mine drainage （AMD） that releases highly acidic, sulfate and metals-rich drainage is a serious environmental problem in coal mining areas in China. In order to study the effect of using loess for preventing AMD and controlling heavy metals contamination from coal waste, the column leaching tests were conducted. The results come from experiment data analyses show that the loess can effectively immobilize cadmium, copper, iron, lead and zinc in AMD from coal waste, increase pH value, and decrease Eh, EC, and 8024- concentrations of AMD from coal waste. The oxidation of sulfide in coal waste is prevented by addition of the loess, which favors the generation and adsorption of the alkalinity, the decrease of the population of Thiobacillusferrooxidans, the heavy metals immobilization by precipitation of sulfide and carbonate through biological sul- fate reduction inside the column, and the halt of the oxidation process of sulfide through iron coating on the surface of sulfide in coal waste. The loess can effectively prevent AMD and heavy metals contamination from coal waste in in-situ treatment systems.

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.

Distribution pattern and limiting factors of vegetation in coal waste pile of Xinzhuangzi coal mine in Huainan

In China, coal mine spoils have traditionally been dumped in cone-shaped heaps that have the potential to pollute air, soil and water environments. The coal waste pile occupies lots of arable land and endangers the ecological system in the coal mine district. Vegetation restoration is an efficient approach for controlling the environment pollution of coal waste pile, and is also a topic of current interest in restoration ecology and degradation system ecology. This study focused on the distribu- tion pattern and limiting factors of vegetation in coal waste pile of Xinzhuangzi Coal Mine in Huainan. The results show that two stable plant communities （Synodon dactylon＋Erigeron bonariensis.L＋Setaria viridis community and Humulus scan- den＋Erigeron bonariensis. L community） exist at the bottom of the pile. Synodon dactylon and Erigeron bonariensis. L have much higher values of summed dominance ratio, which denote that these two species can be used for restoration of coal waste piles. The high levels of pH （8.77） and salinity, low levels of total P and total K in coal mine spoil can be the limiting factors for the residence and growth of vegetation.

Charging for the waste dumping of open-pit metal mines

Based on the externality theory and the environmental value theory, the hypothesis of charging for waste dumping of open-pit metal mines was put forth. The charging methods were designed according to the characteristics of waste dumping of openpit metal mines, including charging based on the dumping amount of the total waste, multi-charging factors, exceeding standard punishment charging, and so on. The main charging parameter is based on the dumping area rather than the total amount of waste dumping. The charging model of waste dumping of open-pit mines was formulated, and the charging rate was divided into two parts, i.e., the standard charging rate and the differential charging rate. The standard charging rate was derived using the equilibrium dynamic model, whereas the differential one was obtained by establishing the fuzzy synthesized evaluation model.

Settlement behavior of coal mine waste in different surrounding rock conditions

In order to investigate the influence of complex conditions of in-situ surrounding rocks on the settlement behavior of nubbly coal mine waste subjected to high gravity pressure,four kinds of loading chambers made of different similar materials with different elastic moduli in experiments were used to simulate the deformation features of in-site rocks,including soft,moderate hardness,hard and extra-hard rocks. The results show that all the settlement-axial load (or axial strain-stress) curves obtained under four different surrounding rock conditions present power-exponential function feature. The final settlement of coal mine waste under the same axial load is closely related to the lumpiness gradations and the deformation behavior of chamber materials used to simulate behaviors of different in-situ surrounding rocks. In the same surrounding rock condition,the final settlement under the same maximum axial load decreases with the decrease of the proportion of larger gradation of coal mine waste. While for the same lumpiness gradation case,the settlement increases with the decrease of elastic modulus of simulated surrounding rocks and the lateral pressure induced by axial load increases with the increase of elastic modulus of loading chambers that are used to simulate different surrounding rocks. The test results also reveal that both the compaction curve and lateral pressure curve show a three-stage behavior,and the duration of each stage,which is closely related to gradations and the deformation feature of loading chamber materials,decreases with the increase of the proportion of the small size of coal mine waste and elastic modulus of the simulated rock materials.

Ultra-fine grinding and mechanical activation of mine waste rock using a high-speed stirred mill for mineral carbonation

CO2sequestration by mineral carbonation can permanently store CO2and mitigate climate change. However, the cost and reaction rate of mineral carbonation must be balanced to be viable for industrial applications. In this study, it was attempted to reduce the carbonation costs by using mine waste rock as a feed stock and to enhance the reaction rate using wet mechanical activation as a pre-treatment method. Slurry rheological properties, particle size distribution, specific surface area, crystallinity, and CO2 sequestration reaction efficiency of the initial and mechanically activated mine waste rock and olivine were characterized. The results show that serpentine acts as a catalyst, increasing the slurry yield stress, assisting new surface formation, and hindering the size reduction and structure amorphization. Mechanically activated mine waste rock exhibits a higher carbonation conversion than olivine with equal specific milling energy input. The use of a high-speed stirred mill may render the mineral carbonation suitable for mining industrial practice.

An Evaluation on the Physical and Chemical Composition of Coal Combustion Ash and Its Co-Placement with Coal-Mine Waste Rock

In the last few decades, the utilization of coal to generate electricity was rapidly increasing. Consequently, the production of coal combustion ash (CCA) as a by-product of coal utilization as primary energy sources was increased. The physical and geochemical characteristics of CCA were site-specific which determined by both inherent coal-source quality and combustion condition. This study was intended to characterize the physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of a coal-combustion ash (CCA) from a site specific power plant and evaluate the leachate characteristic of some scenario on the co-placement of CCA with coal-mine waste rock. The physical properties such as specific gravity, dry density, porosity and particle size distribution were determined. Chemically, the CCA sample is enriched mainly in silica, aluminum, iron, and magnesium along with a little amount of calcium and sodium which includes in the class C fly ash category. Moreover, it is found that the mineral phases identified in the sample were quartz, mullite, aragonite, magnetite, hematite, and spinel. Co-placement experiment with mudstone waste rock shows that the CCA, though it has limited contribution to the decreasing permeability, has important contributed to increase the quality of leachate through releasing higher alkalinity. Moreover, addition of CCA did not affect to the increase of the trace metal element in the leachate. Hence, utilization of CCA by co-placement with coal mine waste rock in the dumping area is visible to be implemented.

Optimization of Dump Bench Configuration to Improve Waste Dump Capacity of Narynsukhait Open Pit Coal Mine

In next two years, the current waste dump of Narynsukhait coal mine is predicted insufficient to accommodate the overburden as limited of the waste dump capacity. Thus, redesigning waste dump is paramount to increase capacity of the dump in future. This paper describes current condition of waste dump of Narynsukhait coal mine and then discusses the optimization of waste dump geometry by analyzing the effect of different waste dump’s bench configuration on slope performance. Optimization of the geometry is carried out by investigating and comparing the performance of geometrical combinations of bench height, bench angles and number of safety berm by means of numerical modeling. The model shows that increasing height of bench is able to induce shear stress in the bench and may initiate bench instable. However, the shear stress can be limited by having safety berm and/or reducing bench angle to satisfy the stability criteria.