• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.523-532
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• 2021

The treatment of acid rock drainage was reviewed and evaluated for the case of pyrite rocks distributed in a highway embankment. During the highway's construction, neutralization using alkaline water repellent was applied to the embankment section to prevent acid rock drainage. However, it still occurred long after the construction was completed owing to rain infiltration, and the acid rock drainage polluted the surrounding soils and streams. To solve this problem, treatment facilities such as SAPS (Successive Alkalinity Producing Systems) or ecological wetlands and sand filtration were installed. After the installation of the treatment facilities, the effluent and soils contaminated by acid rock drainage nearby the outlet of the facilities were analyzed and evaluated for a period of years. Measurements of the pH of the effluent and analysis of the heavy metal contamination of the soils confirmed that the neutralization treatment for acid rock drainage is being performed properly and that contamination of heavy metals in the acid rock drainage is also being stably controlled by the treatment facilities.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.878-883
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• 2005

This paper describes the effect of acid rock drainage(ARD) produced from the cut slope on the slope structures. Acid rock drainage is originated from a rock quarry located in coal mine zone and mineralization belt of Chosen Supergroup and Ogcheon group, andesite with the pyrite, and acid sulfate soils of Tertiary in Korea. The cut slope, where acid rock drainage comes out, almost has been constructed by shotcrete and planting works. According to the field observation results, in most cases, the acid rock drainage has an adverse effect on slope structures. The shotcrete, anchors and rock bolts produced corrosive action, and bad germination and growth diseases of covering plants of the slope planting construction due to ARD.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.491-498
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• 2005

Acid Rock Drainage(ARD) is the product formed by the atmospheric(i.e. by water, oxygen and carbon dioxide) oxidation of the relatively common iron-sulphur minerals pyrite($FeS_2$). ARD causes the acidification and heavy metal contamination of water and soil and the reduction of slope stability. In this study the generation characteristics and the prediction of ARD of various road cut slopes were studied. An attempt to classify the rocks into several groups according to their acid generation potentials was made. Acid Base Accounting(ABA) tests, commonly used as a screening tool in ARD predictions, were performed. Sixteen rock samples were classified into PAF(potentially acid forming) group and four rock samples into NAF(non-acid forming) group. The chemical analysis of water samples strongly suggested that ARD with high content of heavy metals and low pH could pollute the ground water and/or stream water.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.23-33
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• 2020

This study determines the basic properties and acid rock drainage generation capacity of Pohang tertiary mudstone through laboratory experiments. According to X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis results, the mudstone of this area mostly comprised of SiO₂ with a proportion of approximately 60%, followed in order by Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃. As such, it is clear that there is an abundance of aluminosilicates with a high probability of generating acid rock drainage. The XRD analysis showed that the mudstone contains pyrite (FeS₂), it is highly likely to generate acid rock drainage, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis results showed that the mudstone samples contained a high amount of Fe²⁺ ions. As a result of anion analysis measured by ion chromatography (IC), all mudstone samples were measured to have high SO^2-₄ concentrations. According to elemental analysis, the total sulfur (S) content was high, which in turn indicates a high risk of acid rock drainage generation reflected by a maximum potential acidity (MPA) higher than 1%. All in all, although there were slight deviations between the tertiary mudstone samples, overall, the samples exhibited high acid rock drainage generation capacities.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.1083-1089
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• 2006

Acid drainage occurs when sulfide minerals are exposed to an oxidizing environment. The objective of this study was to examine the optimum condition for creating a phosphate coating on standard pyrite surfaces for reduction of pyrite oxidation. The solution of $10^{-2}M\;KH_2PO_4\;10^{-2}M\;H_2O_2$ pH 6 was identified as the best phosphate coating agent for the reduction of pyrite oxidation. The formation of an iron phosphate coating on pyrite surfaces was confirmed with ore microscope and scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The temperature did not significantly affect on the formation of phosphate coating on the surface of pyrite. However, the phosphate coating was less stable at higher temperature than at lower temperature. The phosphate coating was quitely stable at wide range of pH and $H_2O_2$ concentration. The less than 3.4% of phosphate was dissolved at pH 2.79 and 10.64 and less than 1.0% of phosphate was dissolved at 0.1M $H_2O_2$. On the basis of these results, the phosphate coating can effectively reduce the negative environmental of acid rock drainage.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.83-92
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to investigate damage conditions of cut slope structures due to acid rock drainage (ARB) and to assess the acid production potential of various rocks. Acid rock drainage is produced by the oxidation of sulfide minerals contained in coal mine zone and mineralization belt of Pyeongan supergroup and Ogcheon group, pyrite-bearing andesite, and Tertiary acid sulfate soils in Korea. Most of cut slopes producing ARB have been treated with shotcrete to reduce ARD. According to the field observations, ARD had an adverse effect on slope structures. The corrosion of shotcrete, anchors and rock bolts and the bad germination and growth diseases of covering plants due to ARD were observed in the field. The concentration of heavy metals and pH of ARD from cut slope exceeded the environmental standard, indicating a high potential of environmental pollution of surrounding soil, surface water and ground water by the ARD. According to acid base accounting (ABA) of the studied samples, hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks, tuffs, coaly shales, tailings of metallic mine had a relatively high potential of acid production but gneiss and granite had no or less acid production potential. It is expected that the number of cut slopes will increase hereafter considering the present construction trend. In order to reduce the adverse effect of ARD in construction sites, we need to secure the data base for potential ARD producing area and to develop the ARD reduction technologies suitable.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.13-24
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• 2004

This study was carried out to plan the prevention of the generation and discharge of Acid Rock Drainage (ARD). The Acid Base Accounting(ABA) test was performed for geological materials such as pit wall, waste rock and stream sediments near the Imgi abandoned pyrophyllite mine in Busan, Korea. In addition, hydraulic characteristics were tested with the disk tension infiltrometer around the waste rock dump. Maximum Potential Acidity(MPA) of geological materials near the Imgi mine was 246.942kg $H_2SO_4/t$, and maximum Acid Neutralising Capacity(ANC) was 8.7kg $H_2SO_4/t$. These results indicate the pit wall and waste rock, except most of stream sediments are acid generating geological materials. These have salt and free hydrogen ion which resulted from oxidation of sulfides. Hence they could be convert rain water to acid rock drainage. Although the waste rock dump of the Imgi mine have very low infiltration rate, slopes of the waste rock dump have many "V" type erosion gullies and multi-layers. These gullies and multi-layers have coarse clastic particle layers which have very large hydraulic conductivity. Through this coarse clastic particle layer a large part of rain flow into ground. And also this layer could function as aeration path which induced oxidation of sulfide minerals and generation of ARD continuously.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.411-424
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• 2013

Assessment and damage reduction strategy of acidic rock drainage were conducted in a section of ${\bigcirc}{\bigcirc}$ highway construction site. The geology of the studied section consists of Icheonri sandstone and intermediate to acidic volcanic rocks. Sulfides occur as a disseminated type in sandstone and volcanics which were altered by the hydrothermal solution of granite intrusion. Volcanics and sandstone with a high content of sulfide were classified as a potentially acid rock drainage(ARD) forming rock. The drainage originated from those rocks may acidify and contaminate the surrounding area during the highway construction. Therefore, the drainage should be treated before it is discharged. A slope landslide hazard due to the ARD was also expected and the coating technology was recommended for the reduction of ARD generation as a preemptive measure before reinforcement work for enhancing slope stability such as shotcrete and anchor. According to the ARD risk analysis, those rocks should not be used as cement aggregate, but only to be used as a bank fill material of a filling-up system that allows minimal contact with rainfall and groundwater.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.405-415
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• 2000

This study was carried out to understand the formation of acid mine drainage (AMD) by pyrophyllite (so-called Napseok)-rainwater interaction (weathering), dispersion patterns of heavy metals, and patterns of mixing with non-polluted water in the Tongnae pyrophyllite mine. Based on the mass balance and reaction path modeling, using both the geochemistry of water and occurrence of the secondary minerals (weathering products), the geochemical evolution of AMD was simulated by computer code of SOLVEQ and CHILLER. It shows that the pH of stream water is from 6.2 to 7.3 upstream of the Tongnae mine. Close to the mine, the pH decreases to 2. Despite being diluted with non-polluted tributaries, the acidity of mine drainage water maintains as far as downstream. The results of modeling of water-rock interaction show that the activity of hydrogen ion increases (pH decreases), the goncentration of ${HCO_3}^-$ decreases associated with increasing $H^+$ activity, as the reaction is processing. The concentration of ${SO_4}^{2-}$first increases minutely, but later increases rapidly as pH drops below 4.3. The concentrations of cations and heavy metals are controlled by the dissolution of reactants and re-dissolution of derived species (weathering products) according to the pH. The continuous adding of reactive minerals, namely the progressively larger degrees of water-rock interaction, causes the formation of secondary minerals in the following sequence; goethite, then Mn-oxides, then boehmite, then kaolinite, then Ca-nontronite, then Mgnontronite, and finally chalcedony. The results of reaction path modeling agree well with the field data, and offer useful information on the geochemical evolution of AMD. The results of reaction path modeling on the formation of AMD offer useful information for the estimation and the appraisal of pollution caused by water-rock interaction as geological environments. And also, the ones can be used as data for the choice of appropriate remediation technique for AMD.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.651-660
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• 2007

Acid drainage has been recognized as an environmental concern in abandoned mine sites for long time. Recently, the environmental and structural damage by acid drainage is a current issue in construction sites in Korea. Here, the author introduces the type of damages by acid drainage in construction sites and emphasizes the importance of geoscience discipline in solving the problem. Metasedimentary rock of Okcheon group, coal bed of Pyeongan group, Mesozoic volcanic rock. and Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks are the major rock types with a high potential for acid drainage upon excavation in Korea. The acid drainage causes the acidification and heavy metal contamination of soil, surface water and groundwater, the reduction of slope stability, the corrosion of slope structure, the damage on plant growth, the damage on landscape and the deterioration of concrete and asphalt pavement. The countermeasure for acid drainage is the treatment of acid drainage and the prevention of acid drainage. The treatment of acid drainage can be classified into active and passive treatments depending on the degree of natural process in the treatment. Removal of oxidants, reduction of oxidant generation and encapsulation of sulfide are employed for the prevention of acid drainage generation.