Abstract
Mine tailings pose environmental risks such as dust emission and acid mine drainage (AMD) and also present geotechnical risks, i.e. tailings dam failures. In-situ cementation of tailings has the potential to reduce the risks associated with such failures as well as the related environmental problems. In this paper, a new inorganic method of inducing tailings cementation is introduced using a naturally occurring mineral called trona (Na2CO3⋅NaHCO3⋅2H2O). Three methods of introducing dissolved trona, i.e. injection, slurry mixing, and infiltration, were tested and the results were compared. All methods proved successful on a laboratory scale but with different amounts of precipitated calcite at different sample depths. The precipitation profile distinctions could have applications in solving common problems associated with tailings including dust emission and liquefaction. Additionally, even distribution of precipitated calcite in the slurry mixing method shows potential for AMD prevention.
抽象的
矿山尾矿有释放粉尘、排放酸性矿山废水 (AMD) 等环境风险, 也有尾矿溃坝等岩土工程风险。尾矿原位固结可减少此类事故的风险和相关环境问题。提出了一种新的利用天然碱 (Na2CO3-NaHCO3-2H2O) 使尾矿固结的无机方法。测试了三种引入溶解天然碱的方法 (即注入、浆液混合和渗入), 进行了结果对比。实验证实所有方法在实验室内都有效, 但不同样品深度的方解石沉淀数量不同。试验的沉淀曲线特征能用于解决与尾矿有关的常见问题, 例如粉尘释放和尾矿液化。此外, 浆液混合法的方解石沉淀分布特征显示出它用于预防酸性矿山废水排放 (AMD) 的潜力。
Zusammenfassung
Die Tailings stellen durch z.B. Staubemissionen und saures Grubenwasser ein Umweltrisiko dar und außerdem durch potenziellen Bruch des Tailings-Dammes ein geotechnisches Risiko. In-situ-Zementation von Tailings hat das Potenzial, das Risiko solcher Dammbrüche und der damit verbundenen Umweltprobleme zu verringern. In diesem Artikel wird eine neue anorganische Methode vorgestellt, bei der das natürlich vorkommende Mineral Trona (Na2CO3•NaHCO3•2H2O) Verwendung findet. Drei Methoden der Einbringung von gelöstem Trona zur Tailings-Zementation wurden getestet und verglichen: Injektion, Mischung mit einer Aufschlämmung und Infliltration. Alle drei Methoden erwiesen sich im Labormaßstab als erfolgreich, allerdings mit unterschiedlichen Mengen gefällten Kalzits in unterschiedlicher Tiefe in den verwendeten Proben. Die Unterschiede zwischen den Fällungsprofilen können für die Lösung der üblichen Probleme mit Tailingsbecken dienen, einschließlich Staubbildung und Verflüssigung. Zusätzlich zeigte die Verteilung der Kalzitniederschläge bei der Mischung mit einer Aufschlämmung Potenziale für die Verhinderung von sauren Grubenwässern auf.
Resumen
Los residuos mineros plantean riesgos medioambientales como la emisión de polvo y el drenaje ácido de minas (AMD) y también presentan riesgos geotécnicos, es decir, fallas en los diques de relaves. La cementación in situ de los estériles tiene el potencial de reducir los riesgos asociados a dichos fallos, así como los problemas medioambientales relacionados. En este artículo se presenta un nuevo método inorgánico para inducir la cementación de relaves utilizando un mineral natural llamado trona (Na2CO3-NaHCO3-2H2O). Se probaron tres métodos de introducción de trona disuelta, es decir, inyección, mezcla de lodo e infiltración, y se compararon los resultados. Todos los métodos resultaron exitosos a escala de laboratorio, pero con diferentes cantidades de calcita precipitada a diferentes profundidades de la muestra. Las distinciones del perfil de precipitación podrían tener aplicaciones en la solución de problemas comunes asociados con los relaves, incluyendo la emisión de polvo y la licuefacción. Además, la distribución uniforme de la calcita precipitada en el método de mezcla de lodos muestra un potencial para la prevención de AMD.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Genesis Alkali mine for providing the trona samples and Montana Tech for sponsoring this research.
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Small, N., Sadeghiamirshahidi, M. & Gammons, C.H. Inorganic Precipitation of Calcite in Mine Tailings Using Trona. Mine Water Environ 41, 970–978 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-022-00896-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-022-00896-1