Using permeable reactive barriers for the treatment of acid rock drainage

Abstract

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is the most serious environmental problem facing the Canadian mineral industry today. It results from oxidation of sulphide minerals (e.g. pyrite or pyrrhotite) contained in mine waste or mine tailings and is characterized by acid effluents rich in heavy metals that are released into the environment. A new acid remediation technology is presented, by which metallurgical residues from the aluminium extraction industry are used to construct permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) to treat acid mine effluents. This technology is very promising for treating acid mine effluents in order to decrease their harmful environmental effects.

Keywords:

• Acid mine drainage
• Permeable reactive barrier
• Bauxsol

Acknowledgements

We thank Virotec International Ltd, Societé CAMBIOR Inc. and the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for their financial support during the research project and for their permission to publish the research results. In particular, thanks are due to Dr Serge Vezina, V.P. Industrial Engineering & Environment of CAMBIOR, for his continuous interest and encouragement.