Assessment of the Acid Mine Drainage Potential of Processing Plant Tailings at the Sangan Iron Ore Complex
Subject Areas :
Waste Management
Ali
Behnamfrad
1
(Assistant Prof., Faculty of Engineering, University of Birjand, South Khorasan, Iran. (Corresponding Author))
Esmail
Khaphaje
2
(M.Sc. in Mineral Processing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Birjand, South Khorasan, Iran.)
Rasool
Alaei
3
(M.Sc. in Mineral Processing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Birjand, South Khorasan, Iran.)
Received: 2016-05-25
Accepted : 2016-11-23
Published : 2019-12-22
Keywords:
Tailing,
Modified Acid Base Accounting test,
Sangan Iron Ore Complex,
Acid Mine Drainage,
Abstract :
Background and Objective: Acid mine drainage (AMD) is the most significant environmental pollution problem associated with the mining activities. AMD is caused by the oxidation of sulfide minerals in the mine tailings that occurs when these materials are exposed to atmospheric oxygen and water. Sangan processing plant annually produces 2.6 million tons of concentrate with iron content more than 66%. During this beneficiation approximately 1.3 Mt/a of tailing material containing 4% sulfur is produced and discarded to the tailings dam. The presence of sulfide minerals associated with water and oxygen in the tailing dam can generates AMD. The aim of this research is to evaluate the acid generation potential of the tailing material.
Method: In order to predict the acid generation potential of the tailing material, samples were taken from the final tailing (i.e., the mixture of various tailing streams of the plant) and also separately from various tailing streams of the plant. Afterwards, the acid generation potential of the samples was determined by modified acid base accounting static tests.
Results: The results indicated that the ratio of neutralization potential to acid potential for the final tailing is 2.04.
Conclusion: This research showed that the tailing of Sangan iron ore processing plant is in the zone of uncertainty. Hence, additional kinetic testing must be performed for obtaining certainty about acid generation potential.
References:
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Akcil, A., Koldas, S., 2006. Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): causes, treatment and case studies. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 14, pp. 1139-1145.
US-EPA, 2000. Abandoned mine site characterization and cleanup handbook. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Seattle.
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Abrosimova, N., Gaskova, O., Loshkareva, A., Edelev, A., Bortnikova, S., 2015. Assessment of the acid mine drainage potential of waste rocks at the Ak-Sug porphyry Cu–Mo deposit. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Vol. 157, pp. 1–14.
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Ehinola, O.A., Adene, T.A., 2008. Preliminary investigation on acid generating potential of coals from Benue trough, Nigeria. Petroleum Coal, Vol. 50, pp. 19-26.
Changul, C., Sutthirat, C., Padmanahban, G., Tongcumpou, C., 2009. Assessing the acidic potential of waste rock in the Akara gold mine, Thailand. Environmental Earth Sciences, Vol. 60, pp. 1065-1071.
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Hesketh, A.H., Broadhurst, J.L., Harrison, S.T.L., 2010. Mitigating the generation of acid mine drainage from copper sulfide tailings impoundments in perpetuity: A case study for an integrated management strategy. Minerals Engineering, Vol. 23, pp. 225-229.
Pope, J., Weber, P., Mackenzie, A., Newman, N., Rait, R., 2010. Correlation of acid base accounting characteristics with the Geology of commonly mined coal measures, West Coast and Southland, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, Vol, 53, pp. 153-166.
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Younger, P., Banwart, S. A., Hedin, R. S., 2002. Mine Water: Hydrology, Pollution, Remediation. Kluwer Academic Press, Netherlands.
Akcil, A., Koldas, S., 2006. Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): causes, treatment and case studies. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 14, pp. 1139-1145.
US-EPA, 2000. Abandoned mine site characterization and cleanup handbook. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Seattle.
Kalin, M., Fyson, A., Wheeler, N.W., 2006. The chemistry of conventional and alternative treatment systems for the neutralization of acid mine drainage. Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 366, pp. 395–408.
Lukovic, A., Stankovic, M., 2012. Passive systems for treating acid mine drainage: a general review. Safety Engineering, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 227-232.
Costello, C., 2003. Acid Mine Drainage: Innovative Treatment Technologies, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Technology Innovation Office, Washington.
Akcil, A., Koldas, S., 2006. Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): causes, treatment and case studies. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 14, pp.1139-1145.
US-EPA, 1994. Acid mine drainage prediction. Office of Solid Waste, Special Waste Branch, Washington.
Qureshi, A., Maurice, C., Öhlander, B., 2016. Potential of coal mine waste rock for generating acid mine drainage. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Vol. 160, pp. 44–54.
Abrosimova, N., Gaskova, O., Loshkareva, A., Edelev, A., Bortnikova, S., 2015. Assessment of the acid mine drainage potential of waste rocks at the Ak-Sug porphyry Cu–Mo deposit. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Vol. 157, pp. 1–14.
Shu, W.S., Ye, Z.H., Lan, C.Y., Zhang, Z.Q., Wong, M.H., 2001. Acidification of lead/zinc mine tailings and its effect on heavy metal mobility. Environment International, Vol. 26, Issues 5–6, pp. 389–394.
Kretschmann, J., Amiri, R., 2013. Socially responsible mining in east Iran: The Sangan iron ore mines. 23rd World Mining Congress and Expo 2013. Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.
Campbell, R.N., Lindsay, P., Clemens, A.H., 2001. Acid generating potential of waste rock and coal ash in New Zealand coal mines. International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 45, pp. 163-179.
Weber, P.A., Stewart, W.A., Skinner, W.M., Weisener, C.G., Thomas, J.E., 2004. Geochemical effects of oxidation products and framboidal pyrite oxidation in acid mine drainage prediction techniques. Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 19, pp. 1953-1974.
Saria, L., Shimaoka, T., Miyawaki, K., 2006. Leaching of heavy metals in acid mine drainage. Waste Management & Research, Vol. 24, pp. 134-140.
Samuel, T.M., 2006. Characterization of the acidproducing potential and investigation of its effect on weathering of the goathill north rock pile at the Questa molybdenum mine, New Mexico. Master Thesis, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Department of Mineral Engineering, Socorro, New Mexico.
Akabzaa, T.M., Armah, T.E.K., Baneong-Yakubo, B.K., 2007. Prediction of acid mine drainage generation potential in selected mines in the ashanti metallogenic belt using static geochemical methods. Environmental Geology, Vol. 52, pp. 957-964.
Ehinola, O.A., Adene, T.A., 2008. Preliminary investigation on acid generating potential of coals from Benue trough, Nigeria. Petroleum Coal, Vol. 50, pp. 19-26.
Changul, C., Sutthirat, C., Padmanahban, G., Tongcumpou, C., 2009. Assessing the acidic potential of waste rock in the Akara gold mine, Thailand. Environmental Earth Sciences, Vol. 60, pp. 1065-1071.
Nugraha, C., Shimada, H., Sasaoka, T., Ichinose, M., Matsui, K., 2009. Waste rock characteristics at tropical coal mine area: A case study of PT. Kaltim Prima Coal, Indonesia. International Journal of the JCRM, Vol. 5, pp. 77-82.
Yeheyis, M.B., Shang, J.Q., Yanful, E.K., 2009. Long-term evaluation of coal fly ash and mine tailings co-placement: A site-specific study. Journal of Environmental Management, Vol. 91, pp. 237-244.
Hesketh, A.H., Broadhurst, J.L., Harrison, S.T.L., 2010. Mitigating the generation of acid mine drainage from copper sulfide tailings impoundments in perpetuity: A case study for an integrated management strategy. Minerals Engineering, Vol. 23, pp. 225-229.
Pope, J., Weber, P., Mackenzie, A., Newman, N., Rait, R., 2010. Correlation of acid base accounting characteristics with the Geology of commonly mined coal measures, West Coast and Southland, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, Vol, 53, pp. 153-166.
Yucel, D.S., Baba, A., 2016. Prediction of acid mine drainage generation potential of various lithologies using static tests: Etili coal mine (NW Turkey) as a case study. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Vol. 188, pp. 473.
