• Title/Summary/Keyword: mine drainage

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Characterization of Leaching of Heavy Metal and Formation of Acid Mine Drainage from Coal Mine Tailings (석탄폐석(石炭廢石)으로부터 산성광산배수(酸性鑛山排水)의 생성과 중금속(重金屬)의 용출(溶出) 특성(特性))

  • Lee, Gye-Seung;Song, Young-Jun
    • Resources Recycling
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.54-62
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    • 2010
  • In order to obtain the basic data for recycling of coal mine tailings, the characteristics of coal mine tailings, the formation of AMD from the tailings and the leaching of heavy metal from the tailings were studied. The samples were characterized in terms of chemical composition, mineral composition and content of heavy metal of the tailings were investigated. The effects of time, temperature, content of pyrite, sulfide minerals on the formation of AMD were also investigated. For the leaching tests, the KS method, TCLP method and column test were used. From the investigated data, we can see that the coal mine tailings can be used as aggregate for filling used gallery. We can also see that the formation of AMD from coal mine tailings can be prevented by mixing 4% or more limestone with it.

Priority Assessment for Remediation of Heavy Metals Closed/Abandoned Mine Areas Using Pollution Indexes

  • Kim Hee-Joung;Yang Jae-E.;Park Byung-Kil;Kong Sung-Ho;Lee Jai-Young;Jun Sang-Ho
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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    • 2006.04a
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    • pp.183-193
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    • 2006
  • Several metalliferous and coal mines, including Seojin and Okdong located at the Kangwon province, were abandoned or closed since 1989 due to the mining industry promotion policy and thus disposed an enormous amount of mining wastes without a proper treatment facilities, resulting in water and soil pollution in the downstream areas. However, no quantitative assessment was made on soil and water pollution by the transport of mining wastes such as acid mine drainage, mine tailing, and rocky waste. In this research, total and fractional concentrations of heavy metals in mining wastes were analyzed and accordingly the degree of water and soil pollutions in the stream area were quantitatively assessed employing the several pollution indices. Concentrations of Ni, Cd, and Pb in soils near the abandoned coal mine areas were 1,240.0, 25.0 and 1,093.0 mg/kg, respectively, and these concentrations were higher than those in soils near the closed metalliferous mine areas. Also Cu concentrations in soils near the tailing dams were about 1967 mg/kg, which is considered as very polluted level. Results demonstrated that soil at the abandoned mine areas were highly contaminated by AMO, tailing, and effluents of the mining wastes. Therefore, a prompt countermeasure on the mining waste treatment and remediation of the codntaminated water and soil should be made to the abandoned or closed metalliferous and coal mines located at the abandoned mine area.

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Problems and improvement methods of passive treatment systems for acid mine drainage in Korea

  • Ji, Sang-Woo;Ko, Ju-In;Kim, Sun-Joon
    • 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 2003.11a
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    • pp.504-510
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    • 2003
  • This study has been carried out to evaluate the passive treatment systems for acid mine drainage in Korea and to suggest, if possible, the method for the improvement. 35 passive treatment systems in 27 mines have been constructed since 1996. SAPS, being the main process, was combined with more than one of processes such as anaerobic wetland, aerobic wetland, and oxidation pond for the construction of passive treatment system. Problems observed during the operation include the poor sulfate removal ratio, overflow, leakage, unusabless of the whole system, and inefficiency. The reasons of the poor sulfate removal ratio are believed that the low temperature during the winter prohibits the SRB activity and HRT for bacterial sulfate reduction is insufficient. An alternative method In Adit Sulfate Reducing System which enables to keep the temperature constant at about $15^{\circ}C$ was suggested. IASRS is the methods of placing the SAPS inside the adit, which enables the temperature around the system constant can be maintained. The experiments using the laboratory scaled model systems made up of four sections showed high efficiencies in pH control and metal removal ratios, but showed still low sulfate removal ratio of about $23\%$ also with high COD at the beginning of the operation.

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Removal of Heavy Metals from Acid Mine Drainage Using Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (황산염환원균을 이용한 폐광폐수의 중금속 제거)

  • Paik, Byeong Cheon;Kim, Kwang Bok
    • Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.47-54
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    • 1999
  • SRB(Sulfate Reducing Bacteria) converts sulfate into sulfide using an organic carbon source as the electron donor. The sulfide formed precipitates the various metals present in the AMD (Acid Mine Drainage). This study is the fundamental research on heavy metal removal from AMD using SRB. Two completely mixed anaerobic reactors were operated for cultivation of SRB at the temperature of $30^{\circ}C$ and anaerobic batch reactors were used to evaluate the effects of carbon source, COD/sulfate($SO_4^=$) ratio and alkalinity on sulfate reduction rate and heavy metal removal efficiency. AMD used in this study was characterized by low pH 3.0 and 1000mg/l of sulfate and dissolved high concentration of heavy metals such as iron, cadmium, copper, zinc and lead. It was found that glucose was an organic carbon source better than acetate as the electron donor of SRB for sulfate reduction in AMD. Amount of sulfate reduction maximized at the COD(glucose)/sulfate ratio of 0.5 in the influent and then removal efficiencies of heavy metals were 97.5% of Cu, 100% of Pb, 100% of Cr, 49% of Mn, 98% of Zn, 100% Cd and 92.4% of Fe. Although sulfate reduction results in an increase in the alkalinity of the reactor, alkalinity of 1000mg/1 (as $CaCo_3$) should be should be added continuously to the anaerobic reactor in order to remove heavy metals from AMD.

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Formation of iron oxides from acid mine drainage and magnetic separation of the heavy metals adsorbed iron oxides

  • Kwon, Hee-won;Kim, JeongJin;Ha, Dong-Woo;Kim, Young-Hun
    • Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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    • v.18 no.1
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    • pp.28-32
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    • 2016
  • There are a few thousand abandoned metal mines in South Korea. The abandoned mines cause several environmental problems including releasing acid mine drainage (AMD), which contain a very high acidity and heavy metal ions such as Fe, Cu, Cd, Pb, and As. Iron oxides can be formed from the AMD by increasing the solution pH and inducing precipitation. Current study focused on the formation of iron oxide in an AMD and used the oxide for adsorption of heavy metals. The heavy metal adsorbed iron oxide was separated with a superconducting magnet. The duration of iron oxide formation affected on the type of mineral and the degree of magnetization. The removal rate of heavy metal by the adsorption process with the formed iron oxide was highly dependent on the type of iron oxide and the solution pH. A high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) system successfully separated the iron oxide and harmful heavy metals.