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At-source control of acid mine drainage

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Abstract

At present, there is no general solution to the problem of acid drainage from mined lands. There are, however, many options to diminish acid discharges, especially where the oxidizing pyrite is located at or near the land surface. These techniques include barrier methods that isolate the pyrite from oxygen or water, chemical additives and inhibition of iron-oxidizing bacteria. This paper emphasizes technology developed during the last decade that includes the addition of high volumes of alkalinity and/or phosphate, the use of surface geophysics to identify problem source areas, the sealing of fractured streambeds using polyurethane grout and the use of anionic surfactants to inhibit the activity of iron-oxidizing bacteria.

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  1. U.S. Bureau of Mines Pittsburgh Research Center, P.O. Box 18070, 15236, Pittsburgh, PA

    Robert L. P. Kleinmann

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  1. Robert L. P. Kleinmann
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Kleinmann, R.L.P. At-source control of acid mine drainage. International Journal of Mine Water 9, 85–96 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02503685

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