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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Operational state monitoring and fuzzy fault diagnostic system of mine drainage

A system to monitor the operational state of a coal mine drainage system is presented, fault problems are diagnosed and solved. The system includes a Single Chip Microprocessor (SCM) Atmega169 and an industrial PC used as a master-slave structure. Characteristic parameters of the drainage system were extracted and analysed. As well, a research project on the fault diagnosis of centrifugal water pump based on a fuzzy synthetic evaluation method is initiated. The proposed monitoring and fault diagnostic system can improve the automation, safety, reliability, economy and efficiency of mine drainage systems considerably, decrease blindness and shorten the time required for water pump maintenance.

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.

Study on the Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage Containing Fe^(2+) and Mn^(2+) Using Modified Spontaneous Combustion Gangue

The high concentrations of Fe^(2+) and Mn^(2+) in acid mine drainage make it difficult and expensive to treat.It is urgent that we find a cheap and efficient adsorption material to treat Fe^(2+) and Mn^(2+).As a solid waste in mining areas,coal gangue occupies a large area and pollutes the surrounding environment during the stacking process.Developing a method of resource utilization is thus a research hotspot.In this study,we modified spontaneous combustion gangue using NaOH,NaCl,and HCl by chemically modifying the minerals.We determined the optimal conditions for treating Fe^(2+) and Mn^(2+) in acid mine drainage with spontaneous combustion gangue and modified coal gangue using the single factor test method.Based on results of the static test,two dynamic test columns,column No.1(spontaneous combustion gangue)and column No.2(NaOH modified spontaneous combustion gangue),were constructed,and the repair effects of acid mine drainage were compared and analyzed using dynamic experiments.The results show that overall,NaOH modified spontaneous combustion gangue is the most efficient at removing the Fe^(2+) and Mn^(2+) in acid mine drainage.The optimal conditions for NaOH modification are an NaOH concentration of 3 mol/L,a liquid to solid ratio of 2 L/kg,and a modification time of 8 h.The overall efficiency of column No.2 at removing Fe^(2+) and Mn^(2+) from acid mine drainage is better than that of column No.1.Among them,the average removal efficiency of Fe^(2+)and Mn^(2+) from acid mine drainage in column No.2 were 97.73%and 44.82%,respectively.The above results show that NaOH modified spontaneous combustion gangue is a good adsorbent,which has application potential in wastewater remediation,as it can achieve the purpose of“treating dust with waste”.

The Dynamic Experiment on Treating Acid Mine Drainage with Iron Scrap and Sulfate Reducing Bacteria Using Biomass Materials as Carbon Source

The study is aimed at the problem of high content of Cr^(6+),Cr^(3+)and SO_(4)^(2-)is high and low pH value in acid mine drainage(AMD).Moreover,treatment of AMD by sulfate reducing bacteria(SRB)requires the addition of carbon source,while the treating effectiveness is not good enough on its own.The sugarcane slag,the corn cob and the sunflower straw were selected as the SRB carbon source cooperating with iron scrap to construct the dynamic columns 1,2 and 3.The mechanism of removing Cr^(6+),Cr^(3+),SO_(4)^(2-)and H+and the regularity of sustained release of carbon source and TFe release was studied in AMD.The removal efficiency of heavy metal ions,the ability of sustained release of carbon source,and the ability of adjusting acid by the three dynamic columns were compared.The result shows that the average removal rates of Cr^(6+),Cr^(3+)and SO_(4)^(2-)in effluent of dynamic column 1,filled by sugarcane slag,iron scrap and SRB,were 96.9%,67.1%and 54.3%.The average release of TFe and chemical oxygen demand(COD)were 4.4 and 287.3 mg/L.Its average pH was 6.98.Compared with the performance of dynamic columns 1,2 and 3,dynamic column 1 performed best in removing Cr^(6+),Cr^(3+)and SO_(4)^(2-)from AMD and controlling the release of COD and TFe,adjusting the pH of the solution.The study is of significance in treatment of AMD by taking for biomass materials as SRB carbon source in cooperation with iron scrap.

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.

The flocculation research on treating suspended solids contained mine drainage through goaf

Mine drainage could be filtered and purified through goaf. This innovative technique shows merits, such as high treatment efficiency, remarkable economic benefit and extensive wastewater recycle use. However, it was detected that capacities of purifying mine drainage for goaf were decreased after a period of application. As a result, the effluent could not meet the standard of recycle water. To solve the problem, coagulant was considered to add into mine drainage reducing its high turbid degrees to certain level. After the preliminary flocculation treatment, mine drainage was piped into goaf to purify. In this way, the load of goaf was eased up. Its usage time was also prolonged. Therefore, this paper carried out the coagulation-flocculation jar test for mine drainage to discuss the flocculation parameters. By the experiment, 10 % iron trichloride is selected from four inorganic coagulants as the optimum coagulant. The optimum dose, PH value and sedirs6-7 and 25 min. Velocity mentation time are respectively 2 mL per 800 mL Wastewater gradient G during the process of mixing and reaction is 696 .And the value of GT is 6.264 × 10^5. The values of G and GT will supply the basis for the design of flocculation pool in the project. The flocculation parameters will be significant for the reference of practice.

Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage Using Constructed Wetland in Tropical Environment： A Tanzania Case Report

The suitability of constructed wetland （CW） in were developed. The first experiment focused on zinc and treating acid mine drainage （AMD） was investigated. Two experiments nutrients removals. Four units of horizontal subsurface flow CWs were used, two cells planted with Phragmites mauritianus, one cell with Typha domingensis and one cell unplanted （control cell）. Artificial high concentrated AMD was used. It was mixed with domestic wastewater from the anaerobic waste stabilization pond （WSP） to ensure nutrient supply to the plants in the CW cells. The second experiment tested the tolerance of locally available macrophytes to the harsh acidic environment, while providing required condition for treatment of AMD. To accomplish this, another set of four CW cells planted with different types of macrophytes, namely Typha domingensis, Phragmites mauritianus, Vetiver grass and Papyrus, were used thereby subjecting them to varying acid concentration ofpH of 3.5, 3.0, 2.9 and 2.7. The study demonstrated adequate zinc removal from AMD which is related to sulphide precipitation. A CW cell planted with Typha domingensis showed higher zinc removal （80%-84%） compared to other cells. Different macrophytes showed different nutrient removal efficiency, but overall, for the type of wetland plants studied, phosphorous removal increased with decreasing pH while nitrogen removal behaved quite opposite. On the other hand, Typha domingensis, Phragmites mauritianus and Papyrus were observed to tolerate high acidity as low pH as 2.7 and therefore are suitable macrophytes for AMD treatment with CW.