Abstract
This chapter introduces mining wastes, primarily from sulfidic ores. These wastes are environmentally destructive and have longevities of thousands of years. The root cause of mining waste is the weathering of exposed waste rock and ores. The weathering process is exacerbated by microbial metabolism. The focus of this chapter and book is the delineation of the role of oxidizing microbes in causing mine waste effluents and the role of reducing microbes in their prevention and control.
Weathering liberates minerals, too low in concentration to be milled economically. The surface area within mine waste is dramatically increased and therefore accessible for oxidation, e.g., weathering. Many elements liberated are needed to sustain life, but increased concentrations are toxic when reaching the receiving environments. The chapter gives a brief, but informative overview of mining practices, and about the complex factors which contribute to the rate and extent of weathering processes. Challenges in predicting the weathering products such as acid mine or rock drainage are presented.
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Kalin-Seidenfaden, M. (2022). Introduction and Weathering. In: Kalin-Seidenfaden, M., Wheeler, W.N. (eds) Mine Wastes and Water, Ecological Engineering and Metals Extraction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84651-0_1
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