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Juby, G. J. G. (1996). Desalination of calcium sulphate scaling mine water: Design and operation of the SPARRO process. Water Sa, 22(2), 161–172.
Abstract: The South African mining industry discharges relatively small quantities of mine service water to the environment, but these effluents contribute substantially to the salt load of the receiving waters. The poor quality of service water also has significant cost implications on the mining operations. Of the two main types of mine service water encountered in the gold mining industry, the so-called calcium sulphate scaling types is found in the majority of cases. Preliminary testwork on this type of water using membrane desalination processes revealed that only the seeded reverse osmosis type of process showed promise. To overcome certain process problems and high operating costs with this system, a novel membrane desalination technique incorporating seeded technology, called the SPARRO (slurry precipitation and recycle reverse osmosis) process, was developed. The novel features of the new process included; a lower linear slurry velocity in the membrane tubes, a lower seed slurry concentration, a dual pumping arrangement to a tapered membrane stack, a smaller reactor and a modified seed crystal and brine blow-down system. Evaluation of the SPARRO process and its novel features, over a five-year period, confirmed its technical viability for desalinating calcium sulphate-scaling mine water. The electrical power consumption of the process was approximately half that of previous designs, significantly improving its efficiency. Membrane performance was evaluated and was generally unsatisfactory with both fouling and hydrolysis dominating at times, although operating conditions for the membranes were not always ideal. The precise cause(s) for the membrane degradation was not established, but a mechanism for fouling (based upon the presence of turbidity in the mine water) and a hypothesis fora possible cause of hydrolysis (alluding to the presence of radionuclides in the mine water) were proposed. Product water from the SPARRO process has an estimated gross unit cost (including capital costs) of 383 c/m(3) (1994).
Keywords: mine water treatment
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Ericsson, B., & Hallmans, B. (1996). Treatment of saline wastewater for zero discharge at the Debiensko coal mines in Poland. Desalination, 105(1-2), 115–123.
Abstract: The drainage water from mines in Poland has a daily contribution of, in the order of magnitude, 6,500 tons of chlorides and 0.5 ton of sulphates to the rivers Vistula (Wisla) and Oder (Odra). The largest amounts of these salts, about 78%, derive from 18 mines located mainly in the Katowice mine district. The high salt content in the water from the Vistula prevents at present its use in agriculture and causes tremendous economic losses due to corrosion attacks on pipes, machines, etc., within the industry. At present only about 4% of the river water can be classified as drinking water. To combat this problem a desalination project in Katowice has now almost been completed, including advanced treatment of wastewater for zero discharge from the two adjacent coal mines, Debiensko and Budryk. It implies elimination of 310 tons/d of salt discharge to the Odra River. The complete treatment processes are divided into three main sections: (1) pretreatment before reverse osmosis (RO) of about 12,400 m3/d drainage water from the two mines with a salinity of around 16,000 mg/l TDS on the average; (2) RO plant including post-treatment of the RO permeate; (3) a thermal plant for concentration of brine (about 4,600 m3/d) and separation of sodium chloride (NaCl) by crystallization, centrifuging and drying. The RO pretreatment includes algicide dosing in a storage tank, disinfection, flocculation/sedimentation and dual media filtration as well as granular activated carbon filtration. After a two-stage microfilter system (50 μ and 5 μ, respectively), the pretreated water is desalinated at 6-7 MPa in a RO system with spiral wound RO membranes. The RO permeate is decarbonated in a part-flow followed by addition of chemicals for disinfection and increase of the temporary hardness before distribution in the drinking water net. The flow into the thermal plant consists of the RO reject (about 2,700 m3/d) with a salinity of around 80 g/l TDS and the brine flow (about 1,870 m3/d) from the Budryk mine with about the same salinity. The first section of the thermal plant is composed of two brine concentrators, designed by Resources Conservation Company (RCC), USA. By using the seed crystal recycling technique it is possible to concentrate the feed to near the precipitation point for NaCl. The second section of the thermal plant includes one crystallizer for production of NaCl, two pusher centrifuges for salt removal from supersaturated brine and one fluidized bed dryer. The crystallizer is a forced circulation submerged-tube evaporator equipped with a mechanical vapor compressor. An additional section is also planned to be constructed for treatment of the purge from the crystallizer in order to recover other valuable chemical products and distillate. The process is fully automatic and controlled by programmable logic controllers. The plant has finally been designed by Energotechnika, Poland, after preparation of technical and economical planning of the project in coordination with Nordcap Ltd., RCC and VBB Viak-SWECO, Stockholm. In the summer 1994 the thermal plant was started up, and the RO plant is expected to be in operation during the spring 1995. The paper covers the project design with illustrations of the main parts of the plant and summarizes the results of the initial operation.
Keywords: mine water
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Al, T. A. (1996). Storm-water hydrograph separation of run off from a mine-tailings impoundment formed by thickened tailings discharge at Kidd Creek, Timmins, Ontario. Journal of Hydrology, 180(1-4), 55–78.
Abstract: The Kidd Creek Cu-Zn sulphide mine is located near Timmins, Ontario. Mill tailings are thickened and deposited as a thickened slurry in a circular, conical-shaped pile with an area of approximately 1200 ha. Deposition of tailings as a thickened slurry results in a relatively uniform grain-size distribution and hydraulic conductivity, and a thick tension-saturated zone above the water table. The tailings are drained by numerous small, ephemeral stream channels, which have developed in a radial pattern. During storms, water from these streams collects in catchment ponds where it is held before treatment. The contribution of tailings pore water to the run off is of interest because of the potential for discharge of pore water containing high concentrations of Fe(II)-acidity, metals and SO4 to the stream. Hydraulic head measurements, measurements of water-table elevation and groundwater how modelling were conducted to determine the mechanisms responsible for tailings pore water entering the surface streams. Chemical hydrograph separation of storm run off in one of these streams, during three rainfall events, using Na and Cl as conservative tracers, indicates that the integrated tailings pore water fraction makes up between less than 1% and 20% of the total hydrograph. This range is less than the maximum fraction of tailings pore water of 22-65% reported for run off from a conventional tailings deposit. At this site, preferential flow through permeable fractures may be the dominant mechanism causing discharge of tailings pore water to storm run off. Estimates of the mass of Fe(II) that discharges to the surface run off from the pore water range up to 2800 mg s(-1) during a moderate intensity, long duration rainfall event. The greatest potential for discharge of significant masses of solutes derived from the pore water exists during long duration rainfall events, when the water table rises to the surface over large areas of the tailings impoundment.
Keywords: mine water treatment
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Orava, D. A., & Swider, R. C. (1996). Inhibiting acid mine drainage throughout the mine life cycle. CIM Bull., 89(999), 52–56.
Abstract: The technical knowledge and practical experience accumulated by industry and others in abating acid mine drainage (AMD) is being proactively applied at every phase of the mine life cycle. This paper traces the mine life cycle from exploration to post closure monitoring and maintenance, and reviews AMD abatement measures that have become an integral component of exploration and mining activities. Attention is increasingly being given to evaluating AMD potential as part of exploration work, and studies related to project feasibility and design. Mining, mineral processing and waste management options are selected taking into consideration their suitability to inhibit AMD. These inhibition measures are typically committed to in closure plans submitted at the permitting stage. Mines are operated and decommissioned, often progressively, as planned and in accordance with environmental protection policies. Es wird über das Problem der Säurebildung aus sulfidischen Aufbereitungsbergen und taubem Gestein im Verlauf des Existenzzyklus eines Bergwerkes berichtet. In Kanada werden seit etwa 10 Jahren intensive Forschungen für Vorhersage, Kontrolle und Eindämmung von Saürebildungen im Bergbau betrieben. Schwerpunkt ist dabei die sulfidische Oxidation (2FeS2 + 7O2 = 2FeSO4 + 2H2SO4) unter Einwirkung verschiedener physikalischer, geochemischer und biologischer Faktoren. Diese Reaktion führt zu einem Komplex weiterer chemischer Reaktionen unter Bildung von zusätzlicher Säure und Lösung von Metallen. Daraus ergeben sich zwei Hauptmöglichkeiten diesen Prozeß zu steuern: 1. die Sulfidoxidation verhindern, 2. den Oxidationsprozeß verlangsamen. Mit dem heutigen Wissensstand ist es möglich, das Säurebildungspotential von Aufbereitungsbergen zu bestimmen, den Prozeß der Sulfidoxidation von Mineralen unter bestimmten physikalischen, geochemischen und biologischen Bedingungen zu modellieren und die Säurebildung von Aufbereitungsbergen und sulfidischen Gesteinen einzudämmen. Im einzelnen werden Maßnahmen zur Bewertung des Säurebildungspotentials und zur Kontrolle und Reduzierung dieses Prozesses während der Existenzstadien Exploration, Durchführbarkeitsstudie und Genehmigung, Gewinnung und Stillegung eines Bergwerkes erläutert. An Beispielen wird gezeigt, daß bei rechtzeitgem Erkennen des Säurebildungspotentials in der Phase der Exploration Verfahren und Maßnahmen bezüglich Aufbereitung, Umgang mit Aufbereitungsbergen ausgewählt werden können.
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Lushnikova, O. Y. (1996). Kompleksirovaniye metodov tamponazha i biolokatsii dlya zashchity podzemnykh vod ot zagryazneniya i istoshcheniya. Combined methods of grouting and biolocation for protection of ground water from pollution and depletion. Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedeniy. Gornyy Zhurnal, 1996(12), 49–52.
Keywords: acid mine drainage; conservation; ecology; fluorimetry; geochemistry; ground water; grouting; hydrology; industrial waste; land use; leaking underground storage tanks; mines; monitoring; natural resources; pollutants; pollution; reclamation; soil treatment; soils; toxic materials; waste disposal; water quality; water regimes; water table 22, Environmental geology
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