Hard rock mine reclamation. From prediction to management of acid mine drainage / Рекультивация рудников с твердыми породами. От прогнозирования до управления процессом осушения кислых стоков

Av the mining industry continues to grow, so too do its environmental impacts and the need for efficient reclamation methods.
The mining industry produces metals that are essential for global economic development. To do so, mining operations exploit ore deposits. For these ore bodies, both those exploited by open pits and underground mines, the proportion of the economic value compared to the whole excavated rock is very low. which implies that large quantities of solid wastes are produced annually, particularly waste rocks and mine tailings (Lottemioser 2007). Waste rocks are economically nonviable material excavated to reach ore-bearing rock. They are usually stored in waste rock piles at the surface. Tailings are ground rock particles resulting from ore processing. Tailings are usually pumped or transported into tailings storage facilities (Bussiere 2007). Both waste types must be stored in a manner that assures their long-term physical and chemical stability. Many environmental challenges are associated with waste rock and tailings storage areas, the main one being the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD). AMD can occur if meteoric water and atmospheric oxygen come into contact with sulfide minerals that can be contained in both types of mine wastes. When the problem is poorly controlled, it can cause significant impacts on ecosystems located near mining operations (c.g., Wolkcrsdorfcr and Bowell 2004; Moncur ct al. 2005; Bussiere 2009; Salvarrcdy-Arangurcn et al. 2008).
Despite the potential negative impacts of mining operations, metal needs are continuously increasing in our society, and recycling does not provide enough raw materials to satisfy those needs. Moreover, with the development of large-scale mining equipment, the global trend is more toward the exploitation of large and low-grade ore deposits via open-pit mines that generate larger amounts of wastes. Thus, to fulfill the needs of both developed and developing countries, more and more metal mines will be opened, more and more mine wastes will be generated, and the potential to generate more and more AMD will also grow. <...>