Geotechnical and hydrogeological evaluation of artificial soils to remediate acid mine drainage and improve mine rehabilitation–an Australian case study

摘要: This project investigates the feasibility of combining overburden (OB) produced from an open cut brown coal mine, rejected wood chip waste from a Kraft Paper Mill (KMR), and industrially derived compost. The outcome is an artificial soil that mitigates Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) and enhances soil heath and suitability for rehabilitation. The three separate industries are local to each other, facilitating economical transportation of waste streams. The study identified a suitable artificial soil mixing ratio that would ultimately neutralise AMD and amplify nutrient content (8 parts OB, 1 part KMR and 0.6 parts compost), based on net acid producing potential derived for each component. The pH of the mixtures increased compared with the raw materials eg. from pH 3.24 to pH 6.51, which was well within ideal conditions for plant growth and inhibition of acidophilic bacteria that catalyse AMD reactions. The …