The Role of Vegetation in Mine Waste Cover Systems with Particular Reference to Australian Mine Rehabilitation

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Mulligan ◽  
David Doley ◽  
Thomas Baumgartl ◽  
K Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Mine Waste ◽  
Mine Rehabilitation ◽  
Cover Systems

Field experimental cells to assess hydrogeological behaviour of store-and-release covers made with phosphate mine waste

2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 1255-1269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Bossé ◽  
Bruno Bussière ◽  
Rachid Hakkou ◽  
Abdelkabir Maqsoud ◽  
Mostafa Benzaazoua
Keyword(s):  
Acid Rock Drainage ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Matric Suction ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Mine Wastes ◽  
Acid Rock ◽  
Release Capacity ◽  
Cover Systems ◽  
Phosphate Mine ◽  
Hydrogeological Behaviour

A field investigation was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of store-and-release (SR) covers made with different phosphate mine wastes in reducing water infiltration (system inclination and surface runoff were neglected) and controlling acid rock drainage (ARD) generation. Four instrumented experimental cells were constructed with different SR layer configurations (two thicknesses and three materials) placed over a capillary break layer. To assess the hydrogeological behaviour of these cover systems, volumetric water content, matric suction, and meteorological monitoring time trends were studied for a period of 1.5 years under actual and extreme conditions typical of an arid climate. Under natural climatic conditions, all net infiltration was released to the atmosphere by the physical process of evaporation (regardless of SR layer thickness and type). Although high surface matric suction (>3000 kPa) decreased the evaporation rate (or release capacity) during the drying period, field tests showed that the studied scenarios limited deep water infiltration even under extreme rainfall events. The release capacity of the SR layer was slightly lower for cover systems made with the finer-grained mine waste (phosphate limestone tailings). This study showed that, for a one-dimensional (1D) condition, the tested phosphate mine wastes have the appropriate hydrogeological properties to be used as components of SR covers under conditions at the Kettara mine site, located near Marrakech, Morocco.

scholarly journals Field-Deployed Extruded Seed Pellets Show Promise for Perennial Grass Establishment in Arid Zone Mine Rehabilitation

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Stock ◽  
Rachel J. Standish ◽  
Miriam Muñoz-Rojas ◽  
Richard W. Bell ◽  
Todd E. Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Organic Amendment ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Perennial Grass ◽  
Rainfall Regime ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Mine Rehabilitation ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Soil Mixtures

Current methods of mine rehabilitation in the arid zone have a high failure rate at seedling emergence largely due to limited availability of topsoil and low water-holding capacity of alternative growth substrates such as mining overburden and tailings. Further, seedlings have consistently failed to emerge from seeds sown on the soil surface using traditional broadcasting methods. Seed pellets, formed by extruding soil mixtures and seeds into pellets, can potentially increase soil water uptake through enhanced soil-seed contact and thereby improve seedling emergence. We tested an extruded seed pelleting method in a three-factor field experiment (i.e., different pellet-soil mixtures, organic amendments, and simulated rainfall regimes) in north-western Australia. Given the observed lack of seedling emergence from broadcast seeds, the aims of the experiment were to assess: (i) the use of pellets to promote native seedling emergence and establishment and; (ii) the soil physico-chemical and microbiological changes that occur with this method of rehabilitation. The effects of pellet-soil mixtures, organic amendment, and rainfall regime on seedling emergence and survival of three native plant species suggest trade-offs among responses. Pellets made with a 1:1 blend of topsoil and a loamy-sand waste material had the highest seedling emergence, while 100% topsoil pellets had lower emergence probably because of hardsetting. Triodia pungens (a native grass) survived to the end of the experiment while Indigofera monophylla and Acacia inaequilatera (native shrubs) emerged but did not survive. Adding an organic amendment in the extruded pellet inhibited Triodia seedling emergence but increased soil microbial activity. Overall, extruded pellets made from a 1:1 blend showed promise for the establishment of Triodia seeds and beneficially, incorporates mine waste overburden and lesser amounts of topsoil. Further research is needed to improve pelleting production and to test the applicability of the method at scale, for different species and other ecosystem types.

Role of Cover Systems to Control Methane Migration from Dumpsites

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 04020044
Author(s):  
Parameswaran T G ◽  
Shabina B ◽  
Sivakumar Babu G L
Keyword(s):  
Cover Systems

Mobilization of metals from uranium mine waste: the role of pyoverdines produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens

Geobiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 278-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. EDBERG ◽  
B. E. KALINOWSKI ◽  
S. J. M. HOLMSTRÖM ◽  
K. HOLM
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Uranium Mine

Quantification of Microorganisms Involved in Cemented Layer Formation in Sulfidic Mine Waste Tailings (Freiberg, Saxony, Germany)

2007 ◽  
Vol 20-21 ◽  
pp. 481-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dagmar Kock ◽  
Torsten Graupner ◽  
Dieter Rammlmair ◽  
Axel Schippers
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Most Probable Number ◽  
Layer Formation ◽  
Probable Number ◽  
Cell Numbers ◽  
Erosion Processes ◽  
Mineral Phases

Cemented layers predominantly consisting of gels/poorly crystalline mineral phases have been formed as a consequence of mineral weathering in sulfidic tailings near Freiberg, Saxony, Germany. These layers function as natural attenuation barrier for toxic compounds and reduce oxidation and erosion processes of tailings surfaces. Quantitative molecular biological and cultivation methods were applied to investigate the role of microorganisms for mineral weathering and cemented layer formation. High resolution depth profiles of numbers of microorganisms showed maximal cell numbers in the oxidation zone where cemented layers had been formed. Highest total cell numbers of >109 cells g-1 dry weight (dw) were detected by SybrGreen direct counting. Using quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) between 107 and 109 Bacteria g-1 dw and up to 108 Archaea g-1 dw were determined. As well high numbers of cultivable and living Bacteria could be detected by MPN (most probable number) for Fe(II)- and S-oxidizers and CARD-FISH (catalyzed reporter deposition - fluorescence in situ hybridization). Overall, the high numbers of microorganisms determined with various quantification techniques argue for a significant role of microorganisms in cemented layer formation due to microbial mineral weathering. It is hypothesized that EPS (extracellular polymeric substances) mediate the formation of secondary mineral phases.

scholarly journals Quantification of the inevitable: the influence of soil macrofauna on soil water movement in rehabilitated open-cut mine land

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 853-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Arnold ◽  
E. R. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Soil Development ◽  
Soil Macrofauna ◽  
Functional Dynamics ◽  
Cover Systems ◽  
Crucial Information ◽  
Mine Sites ◽  
Cover Design

Abstract. Recolonisation of soil by macrofauna (especially ants and termites) in rehabilitated open-cut mine sites is inevitable. In these highly disturbed landscapes, soil invertebrates play a major role in soil development (macropore configuration, nutrient cycling, bioturbation, etc.) and can influence hydrological processes such as infiltration and seepage. Understanding and quantifying these ecosystem processes is important in rehabilitation design, establishment and subsequent management to ensure progress to the desired end-goal, especially in waste cover systems designed to prevent water reaching and transporting underlying hazardous waste materials. However, soil macrofauna are typically overlooked during hydrological modelling, possibly due to uncertainties on the extent of their influence, which can lead to failure of waste cover systems or rehabilitation activities. We propose that scientific experiments under controlled conditions are required to quantify (i) macrofauna – soil structure interactions, (ii) functional dynamics of macrofauna taxa, and (iii) their effects on macrofauna and soil development over time. Such knowledge would provide crucial information for soil water models, which would increase confidence in mine waste cover design recommendations and eventually lead to higher likelihood of rehabilitation success of open-cut mining land.

scholarly journals The Role of Microorganisms in the Formation, Dissolution, and Transformation of Secondary Minerals in Mine Rock and Drainage: A Review

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1349
Author(s):  
Jose Eric Ortiz-Castillo ◽  
Mohamad Mirazimi ◽  
Maryam Mohammadi ◽  
Eben Dy ◽  
Wenying Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Sulfide Oxidation ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Source Control ◽  
Metals And Metalloids ◽  
Secondary Minerals ◽  
Potentially Harmful Elements ◽  
Mine Waste Rock

Mine waste rock and drainage pose lasting environmental, social, and economic threats to the mining industry, regulatory agencies, and society as a whole. Mine drainage can be alkaline, neutral, moderately, or extremely acidic and contains significant levels of sulfate, dissolved iron, and, frequently, a variety of heavy metals and metalloids, such as cadmium, lead, arsenic, and selenium. In acid neutralization by carbonate and silicate minerals, a range of secondary minerals can form and possibly scavenge these potentially harmful elements. Apart from the extensively studied microbial-facilitated sulfide oxidation, the diverse microbial communities present in mine rock and drainage may also participate in the formation, dissolution, and transformation of secondary minerals, influencing the mobilization of these metals and metalloids. This article reviews major microbial-mediated geochemical processes occurring in mine rock piles that affect drainage chemistry, with a focus on the role of microorganisms in the formation, dissolution, and transformation of secondary minerals. Understanding this is crucial for developing biologically-based measures to deal with contaminant release at the source, i.e., source control.

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