Groudev, S. N., Georgiev, P. S., Spasova, I. I., & Nicolova, M. N. (2000). In situ treatment of mine waters by means of a permeable barrier. Groundwater 2000, , 417–418.
Abstract: Acid ground waters contaminated with radioactive elements (U, Ra, Th), toxic heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Mn, Fe), arsenic and sulphates were treated by means of a permeable barrier. The barrier was filled with a mixture of biodegradable solid organic substrates (spent mushroom compost, sawdust and cow manure) and was inhabited by a mixed microbial community consisting of sulphate-reducing bacteria and other metabolically interdependent microorganisms. An efficient removal of the pollutants was achieved by this barrier during the different climatic seasons, even at ambient temperatures close to degrees C. The microbial dissimilatory sulphate reduction and the sorption of pollutants by the organic matter in the barrier were the main processes involved in this removal.
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Blowes, D. W., Ptacek, C. J., Benner, S. G., McRae, C. W. T., & Puls, R. W. (1998). Treatment of dissolved metals using permeable reactive barriers. Groundwater Quality: Remediation and Protection, (250), 483–490.
Abstract: Permeable reactive barriers are a promising new approach to the treatment of dissolved contaminants in aquifers. This technology has progressed rapidly from laboratory studies to full-scale implementation over the past decade. Laboratory treatability studies indicate the potential for treatment of a large number of inorganic contaminants, including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Tc, U, V, NO3, PO4, and SO4. Small scale field studies have indicated the potential for treatment of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, NO3, PO4, and SO4. Permeable reactive barriers have been used in full-scale installations for the treatment of hexavalent chromium, dissolved constituents associated with acid-mine drainage, including SO4, Fe, Ni, Co and Zn, and dissolved nutrients, including nitrate and phosphate. A full-scale barrier designed to prevent the release of contaminants associated with inactive mine tailings impoundment was installed at the Nickel Rim mine site in Canada in August 1995. This reactive barrier removes Fe, SO,, Ni and other metals. The effluent from the barrier is neutral in pH and contains no acid-generating potential, and dissolved metal concentrations are below regulatory guidelines. A full-scale reactive barrier was installed to treat Cr(VI) and halogenated hydrocarbons at the US Coast Guard site in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, USA in June 1996. This barrier removes Cr(VI) from >8 mg l(-1) to <0.01 mg l(-1).
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Wolkersdorfer, C., & Younger, P. L. (2002). Passive mine water treatment as an alternative to active systems. Grundwasser, 7(2), 67–77.
Abstract: For the treatment of contaminated mine waters reliable treatment methods with low investment and operational costs are essential. Therefore, passive treatment systems recently have been installed in Great Britain and in Germany (e.g. anoxic limestone drains, constructed wetlands, reactive barriers, roughing filters) and during the last eight years such systems successfully treated mine waters, using up to 6 ha of space. In some cases with highly contaminated mine water, a combination of active and passive systems should be applied, as in any case the water quality has to reach the limits. Because not all the processes of passive treatment systems are understood in detail, current research projects (e.g. EU-project PIRAMID) were established to clarify open questions.
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Swayze, G. A. (2000). Imaging spectroscopy: A new screening tool for mapping acidic mine waste. ICARD 2000, Vols I and II, Proceedings, , 1531–+.
Abstract: Imaging spectroscopy is a relatively new remote sensing tool that provides a rapid method to screen entire mining districts for potential sources of surface acid drainage. An imaging spectrometer known as the Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) measures light reflected from the surface in 224 spectral channels from 0.4 – 2.5 mum. Spectral data from this instrument were used to evaluate mine waste at the California Gulch Superfund Site near Leadville, Colorado. Here, the process of pyrite oxidation at the surface produces acidic water that is gradually neutralized as it drains away from mine waste, depositing a central jarosite zone surrounded by a jarosite + goethite zone, in turn surrounded by a goethite zone with a discontinuous hematite rim zone. Leaching tests show that pH is most acidic in the jarosite and jarosite+goethite zones and is near-neutral in the goethite zone. Measurements indicate that metals leach from minerals and amorphous materials in the jarosite + goethite and jarosite zones at concentrations 10 – 50 times higher than from goethite zone minerals. Goethite zones that fully encircle mine waste may indicate some attenuation of leachate metals and thus reduced metal loading to streams. The potential for impact by acidic drainage is highest where streams intersect the jarosite and jarosite + goethite zones. In these areas, metal-rich acidic surface runoff may flow directly into streams. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates (U.S. EPA, 1998) that mineral maps made from AVIRIS data at Leadville have accelerated remediation efforts by two years and saved over $2 million in cleanup costs.
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Campbell, A. (2000). Mitigation of acid rock drainage at the Summitville Mine Superfund Site, Colorado, USA. ICARD 2000, Vols I and II, Proceedings, , 1243–1250.
Abstract: Numerous techniques for treating, controlling, and preventing acid rock drainage have been applied at the Summitville Mine Superfund Site. Challenging aspects of the remote mine site include the wide-spread occurrence of acid-generating soils and rocks, extensive surface and underground mine workings, and a cold and wet climate. Water treatment was an immediate necessity when the Government took control of the abandoned site in December of 1992. Subsequent reclamation activities have emphasized prevention and control of ARD to minimize future water treatment requirements. A combination of conventional, innovative, and experimental methods are being applied to successfully mitigate ARD at Summitville.
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