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Acid mine drainage potential of waste rocks in a gold mine (Thailand): application of a weathering cell test and multivariate statistical analysis

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Abstract

In the process of gold mining, large amounts of broken waste rocks are produced and left at the surface under atmospheric conditions, which may generate acid mine drainage (AMD). This study aimed to predict the AMD generation potential and determine the concentrations of potentially toxic metals at three dump sites for a gold mine in Thailand. The AMD generation potentials of waste rock samples collected from the oxide, transition and sulfide dump sites was determined using the weathering cell test. The kinetic test had a 7-d cycle and was run for ~ 21 cycles; the effluent pH, conductivity, redox potential and levels of sulfate, and major and trace metals (i.e., As, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) present in each cycle were measured. Some samples generated significant amounts of AMD, especially the massive sulfide samples from the transition and sulfide dump sites. The effluent water pH in the oxide and sulfide dump sites was neutral to slightly alkaline (pH ~ 6–9), while it was acidic to neutral (pH ~ 3–7) in the transition dump site. The transition dump site samples generated significantly higher acidity and sulfate levels than those from the oxide and sulfide dump sites. Furthermore, some waste rock samples, including the massive sulfide from the transition dump site, released relatively high amounts of heavy metals; in addition, sulfate reached levels (9.48 mg kg−1 of waste rock) high enough to pose a risk to ecosystems. The long-term acid generation suggested that some waste rock samples from sulfide dump site and transition dump site will continue to generate acid for long periods. Based on data from the weathering cell test and multivariate statistical analysis, the transition dump site potentially generates a lower pH leachate than other waste rock dumps.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thankfully acknowledge the support of the Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management (HSM) and the International Postgraduate Programs in Environmental Management, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University for their invaluable support in terms of facilities and scientific equipment. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the 90th Anniversary of the Chulalongkorn University, National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT): NRCT5-RSA63001-06, for financial support and to thank the Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund, Chulalongkorn University for the Research Unit.

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  1. International Postgraduate Programs in Environmental Management, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Yaowaluck Charuseiam

  2. Center of Excellence for Environmental and Substance Management (HSM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Yaowaluck Charuseiam

  3. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Srilert Chotpantarat & Chakkaphan Sutthirat

  4. Research Unit of Green Mining (GMM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Srilert Chotpantarat

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  1. Yaowaluck Charuseiam
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Correspondence to Srilert Chotpantarat.

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Charuseiam, Y., Chotpantarat, S. & Sutthirat, C. Acid mine drainage potential of waste rocks in a gold mine (Thailand): application of a weathering cell test and multivariate statistical analysis. Environ Geochem Health 44, 1049–1079 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-021-00976-1

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