Acid mine drainage at Mount Morgan, Queensland (Australia): Experimental simulation and geochemical modelling of buffering reactions.

摘要: The Mount Morgan mine in Central Queensland, Australia, is a heavily impacted site with over 100 million tonnes of sulphide-rich waste rock accumulated during more than century gold and copper mining. Concern the potential dispersal acid drainage (AMD) into surrounding environment prompted construction water treatment plant 2006. In this study we performed some column leaching experiments developed geochemical model to simulate generation AMD reactions between lime [CaO], buffering agent used plant. Our results show that although use effective reducing acidity contaminant levels water, extremely large amounts metal-rich sludge will be generated, precipitation gypsum [CaSO4·2H2O] following reaction likely cause problems associated pipelines. process itself may have negative consequences on chemical stability waste: reduction lead dissolution jarosite [KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6], stable phase tailings under current pH conditions, release contained metals system. We demonstrate relatively simple models can predict very accurately outcomes treatment/remediation strategies, but only if geochemistry geology are well known.