• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.265-276
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• 2012

Current study includes the analysis of mine tailings and leachate water and prediction of species originated from the tailings. The variation of contaminants were measured upon the distance from the tailings to the nearby stream. The ions concentration was highest at the tailings and pit mouth and it becomes lower as it goes far away from the origin. This is the reason that the leachate was diluted with the uncontaminated stream water. The tailings were mainly classified into reddish one and yellow one. The main mineral of reddish tailings were quarts, illite, plumbojarosite and a small amount of sphalerite. The main mineral of yellow tailings were muscovite, quarts, plumbojarosite, and a small amount of chalcopyrite and sphalerite. Pb and Zn were found in the leachate in high concentration and become the major contaminants. These come from the dissolution of plumbojarosite and sphalerite contained in the mine tailings.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.297-305
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• 2008

Tailings piled up at Okdong mine in Euiseong consists of fine powder, and are mainly composed of pyrite, sphalerite, chlorite, illite, plagioclase, smectite, gypsum, etc. Smectite is concentrated in the upper part of tailings and chlorite is downwardly increased. Gypsum is generally observed on the surface of the mine tailings, suggesting that it was formed by the reaction of Ca and $SO_4$ in leachate after evaporation. Through the electron microscope study of sphalerite within the tailings, it was observed that there is significant weathering both on surface and in the inner part of the sphalerite, suggesting that the reaction of the failings with groundwater for long period of time contributed a significant addition of Zn and $SO_4$ into the leachate.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.32-38
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• 2017

For the massive recycling of mine tailings, which are an inorganic by-product of mining process, in the field of civil engineering, pretreatments to extract heavy metals are required. This study focuses on the use of pre-treated tailings as substitute fillers for controlled low-strength material (CLSM). As a comparative study, untreated tailing, microwave-treated tailing and magnetic separated with microwaved tailing were used in this study. Cement contents amounting to 10%, 20% and 30% by the weight of the tailings were designed. Both compressive strength and flowability for all types of mixture were satisfied with the requirements of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Committee 229, i.e., 0.3-8.3 MPa of compressive strength and longer than 200 mm flowability. Furthermore, all mixtures showed settlements less than 1% by volume of the mix.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.27-38
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• 2003

Arsenic contamination around Au-Ag mining areas occurs mainly from the oxidation of arsenopyrite which is frequently contained in mine tailings. In weathered tailings, oxidation of sulfide minerals typically results in the formation of abundant ferric (oxy)hydroxides or (oxy)hydroxysulfates near the tailings surface, and arsenic may be associated with these secondary precipitates. In this study, solid phases of arsenic in weathered tailings of some Au-Ag mines were investigated through the SEM/EDS and sequential extraction analyses. The stability of As solid phases and the leaching potential were assessed with the variation of pH and Eh conditions. Oxidation of sulfides in the tailings samples was indicated by depletion of S molar concentrations compared to As and heavy metals. Under XRD examinations, jarosite as an Fe-oxyhydroxysulfate was found in the tailings of Deokeum, Dongil and Dadeok, and scorodite as an As-bearing crystalline mineral was identified from Dadeok which has the highest concentration of As (4.36 wt.%). Beudantite-like phases and some Pb-arsenates were also found under SEM/EDS analysis, and most of As phases were associated with Fe-(oxy)hydroxides and (oxy)hydroxysulfates despite a few arsenopyrite from Samgwang and Gubong. Sequential extraction analysis also showed that As was present predominantly as coprecipitated with Fe hydroxides from Dongil, Dadeok and Myungbong (72∼99%), and as sulfides (58%) and Fe hydroxide-associated forms (40%) from Samgwang and Gubong. In the tailings leaching experiment, As was released with high amounts by the dissolution of As-bearing Fe(oxy)hydroxysulfates in the lowest pH (2.7) conditions of Deokeum, and by desorption under alkaline conditions of Samgwang and Gubong. Higher leaching rates of arsenite(+3) were found under acidic conditions, which pose a higher risk to water quality. Changes in pH and Eh conditions coupled with microbial processes could influence the stabilities of the As solid phases, and thus, time amendments or landfilling of weathered tailings may result in enhanced As mobilization.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.259-265
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• 2011

This research was performed to stabilize heavy metals in mine tailing using fly ash and clay. Fly ash-clay-mine tailing system were investigated using XRD (X-ray diffractometer), XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectrometer), TG-DTA, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), Dilatometer and UTM with various mine tailing contents (~15 wt%). The fly ash used in this research was mainly composed of $SiO_2$ (33.01 wt%), $Al_2O_3$ (28.54 wt%), $K_2O$ (3.32 wt%), $Fe_2O_3$ (1.47 wt%), CaO(9.97 wt%). $SiO_2$ and $Al_2O_3$ composition of the clay was over 61 wt%. And the mine tailing have high composition of $SiO_2$ (26.91 wt%), CaO (24.25 wt%), $Fe_2O_3$ (22.97 wt%). Therefore, it was estimated that fly ash-clay-mine tailing have enough sintering characteristics. The shrinkage of specimens started at around $850^{\circ}C$ and changed little up to $1100^{\circ}C$, but increased markedly at above $1100^{\circ}C$. The shrinkage rate is strongly related to the decarbonization amount of coal fly ash. As the result of SEM, structure of the specimens with mine tailing addition showed more close than the one without mine tailing. Compressive strength of the specimens with mine tailing was highly increased to approximately 200~420 kgf/$cm^2$, it satisfied the first grade criterion for clay brick by KS L 4201. The specification of leaching characteristics of the sintered specimens were within the Korean regulation standard.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.4A
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• pp.767-774
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• 2006

This study has focused on the possibility for recycling of tailings from the sangdong tungsten mine as powder (TA) of self-compacting concrete (SCC). The experimental tests for entrapped water ratio were carried out in accordance with the specified method by Okamura. The rheological measurements of cement paste were conducted by using a commercially digital Brookfield viscometer (Model LVDV-II+) equipped with cylindrical spindles, also tests for slump-flow, time required to reach 500 mm of slump flow (sec), time required to flow through V-funnel (sec) and filling height of U-box test (mm) were carried out in accordance with the specified by the Japanese Society of Civil Engineering (JSCE). The results of this study, entrapped water ratio was decreased with increasing replacement of TA. Thickness of pseudo water film was increased, and mean plastic viscosity was decreased with increasing replacement of TA. And slump-flow of SCC was decreased with increasing replacement of TA. But time required to reach 500 mm of slump flow (sec), time required to flow through V-funnel (sec) and filling height of U-box test (mm) were satisfied a prescribed range. The mechanical properties including compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and elastic modulus were checked with the requirements specified by Korean Industrial Standard (KS). The compressive strength of SCC was decreased with increasing replacement of TA, splitting tensile strength and elastic modulus were similar to those of normal concrete.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.113-119
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• 2004

Mineral wastes are generated by the minerals, mining, and metal industries. These are generally inorganic waste streams of mainly waste rock or residues from refining during extraction of metals or minerals from the ore. There are many plants where minerals are recovered in secondany circuits, treating tailings, where the feed grades are much lower than would be economic on a mined ore. The world is now becoming aware of the finite nature of its resources at a price, and of the ever-increasing development costs of large new mines. Reprocessing of old tailings on a large scale must be worth examining very seriously by those with access to sufficient material of this type. In the present paper, mineral separation techniques to recover valuable metals and resources from the old tailings are reviewed, and new trends for future developments are also discussed.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.175-183
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• 1999

Mine tailings, field soils, and paddy soils around Jingok abandoned mine were analyzed In order to investigate their pollution levels of heavy metals and cyanide. The average contents of As, Cd, Cu. Hg. Pb, Zn, and CN￣in mine tailings were 3.94$\times$$10^3$, 14.3, 266, 6.13, 4.07$\times$$10^3$, 2.51$\times$$10^3$, and 1.19mg/kg, respectively. The pollution indices calculated by the tolerance level of Kloke were 32~58 and the pH values were slightly acidic in mine tailings. In the field and paddy soils of Jingok abandoned mine area except for soils nearby mine tailings, concentrations of the heavy metals were less than standards of soil pollution of agricultural area in the environmental protection law.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2001

Enormous volumes of mining wastes from the abandoned and closed mines are disposed without a proper treatment in the upper Okdong River basin at Southeastern part of Kangwon Province. Erosion of these wastes contaminates soil, surface water, and sediments with heavy metals. Objectives of this research were to fractionate heavy metals in the mine tailing stored in the Sangdong Tungsten tailing dams and to assess the potential pollution index of each metal fraction. Tailing samples were collected from tailing dams at different depth and analyzed for physical and chemical properties. pH of tailings ranged from 7.3 to 7.9. Contents of total N and organic matter were in the ranges of 3.2~5.5%, and 1.3~9.1%, respectively. Heavy metals in the tailings were higher in the newly constructed tailing dam than those in the old dam. Total concentrations of metals in the tailings were in the orders of Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd, exceeded the corrective action level of the Soil Environment Conservation Law and higher than the natural abundance levels reported from uncontaminated soils. Relative distribution of heavy metal fractions was residual > organic > reducible > carbonate > adsorbed, reversing the degree of metal bioavailability. Mobile fractions of metals were relatively small compared to the total concentrations. Distribution of metals in the tailing dam profiles was metal specific. Concentrations of Cu at the surface of tailing dams were higher than those at the bottom. Pollution index (PI) values of each fraction of metals were ranged from 4.27 to 8.51 based on total concentrations. PI values of mobile fractions were lower than those of immobile fractions. Results on metal fractions and PI values of the tailing samples indicate that tailing samples were contaminated with heavy metals and had potential to cause a detrimental effects on soil and water environment in the lower part of the stream. A prompt countermeasure to prevent surface of tailings in the dams from water and wind erosions is urgently needed.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.245-248
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• 2003

현재까지 폐석 및 광미의 환경적 영향에 대한 많은 연구들은 중금속원소 등의 총 농도 분석 및 화학용매를 이용한 부분추출을 통해 중금속의 존재형태를 규명하는데 중점을 두었다. 하지만 대부분 지표환경에 제한되어 중금속 원소들의 오염원으로서의 잠재성, 즉 심도별 중감속원소 함유 광물의 pH 및 산화ㆍ환원 조건변화에 따른 용해도 특성과 이동성 등에 대한 정보를 제공하기에는 미흡하다. (중략)