James A. Jacobs - Acid Mine Drainage, Rock Drainage, and Acid Sulfate Soils. Causes, Assessment, Prediction, Prevention, and Remediation

Edited by

JAMES A. JACOBS

JAY H. LEHR

STEPHEN M. TESTA

Copyright 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Acid mine drainage, rock drainage, and acid sulfate soils : causes, assessment, prediction,
prevention, and remediation / edited by James A. Jacobs, Jay H. Lehr, Stephen M. Testa.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-48786-0 (cloth)
1. Acid mine drainage. I. Jacobs, James A. (James Alan), 1956- editor of compilation.
II. Lehr, Jay H., 1936- editor of compilation. III. Testa, Stephen M., editor of compilation.
TD899.M5A34 2013
622.49dc23

2013016293

Acid drainage is a widespread universal biogeochemical process that has existed on Earth for eons, producing acidic waters rich in sulfuric acid and toxic metals, as well as potential resources. Acid drainage occurs at coal mines and is associated with hardrock metal ore deposits, road or building development projects, naturally occurring gossans, or with coastal marine sediments producing acid sulfate soils. Its presence reflects the complex biogeochemical interaction of an oxidizing agent, typically oxygen, which reacts with iron sulfide compounds catalyzed by iron- or sulfur-oxidizing microbial organisms, primarily bacteria in the presence of water. Most commonly, pyrite is exposed at the surface through natural processes or a development project, and the oxidation of the iron sulfide compound begins to dissolve, creating the exothermic reactions and by-products described in these pages. This book is a compilation or status report on what is known on the subject of acid drainage, sometimes described in the literature under the topics of acid mine drainage, acid rock drainage, and acid sulfate soils.

Acid drainage occurs in many environments, as discussed in Part I, Causes of Acid Mine Drainage, Rock Drainage, and Sulfate Soils, which focuses on the biogeochemistry of acid mine drainage, rock drainage, and sulfate soils. The telltale dark red to orange river water and sediments are found worldwide in a variety of environmental settings, all associated with sulfide oxidation. Primarily microbially induced, the acid drainage process produces sulfuric acid, creating low-pH conditions in creeks, streams, rivers, and associated water basins.

Acid drainage relating to stream characterization, aquatic and biological sampling, evaluation of aquatic resources, and unusual aspects of sulfide oxidation are discussed in Part II, Assessment of Acid Mine Drainage, Rock Drainage, and Sulfate Soils. As part of the acid drainage process, other toxic metals become solubilized by the acidic waters, which have been documented to harm aquatic organisms. Large fish kills, up to severe degradation of surface water and groundwater resources, have been well documented in the literature in areas containing acid drainage.

In Part III, Prediction and Prevention of Acid Drainage, we address just how far we have come in predicting acid drainage accurately. The prediction of acid drainage has been challenging. Based on the shallow exposure of copper, gold, silver, and other metal ores, we know that mining in the Rio Tinto area of Spain dates back over 5000 years. Those ores contain iron sulfides that oxidize during mining disturbance when exposed to the oxygen in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, once the process of acid drainage starts, it is virtually impossible to stop the biogeochemical reactions. Various predictive tools and methods, including acidbase accounting, kinetic testing, block modeling, petrology, and mineralogy studies, are described in Part III. Policy, regulation, and brownfield redevelopment are also discussed.

Various passive and active cleanup methods to treat acid drainage once the biogeochemical process begins are described in Part IV, Remediation of Acid Drainage, Rock Drainage, and Sulfate Soils. Reusing the wastes from acid drainage is the best method for sustainable mining and development. Acid drainage and the biogeochemical processes involved can be enhanced and used for resource recovery. In Part V we provide a variety of useful reference appendixes.

We also address several general questions that provide an overview and fundamental understanding of acid drainage:

• Are all sulfur oxidation reactions aboveground?

Not all sulfur oxidation reactions are aboveground. Sulfur oxidation reactions occur in some unlikely places in the subsurface. Understanding water geochemistry and changes in redox conditions is important for water managers who are monitoring and using aquifer recharge systems. Population growth combined with global climate changes requires more astute use and optimization of subsurface aquifers for large-scale water storage systems. In these cases, oxygen-rich surface or treated water can be pumped into subsurface aquifers for storage and reuse. The contact chemistry of injecting highly oxygenated surface or treated waters into reduced pyrite-rich aquifers causes the same acid drainage reactions in the subsurface, frequently liberating arsenic through the production of sulfuric acid and dissolution of the pyrite grains. Examples of aquifer storage and sulfide oxidation, and arsenic mobilization issues from southern Florida are discussed.