Since most of the elements used by the society come from mineral extrac-tion, mining of mineral resources provide essential raw material for sustain-able development. Mining however leads to severe impact on the environ-ment, including contamination by toxic metals. A recent Europe-wide survey identified wide-spread pollution problems caused by mining, abandoned mines in particular (COM, 2003). Younger et al. (2002) estimated that about 1,000 to 1,500 km of watercourses are polluted by metal mine discharges in the EU. Through mineral extraction and subsequent mineral processing huge amount of wastes are produced. Metals and metal compounds in wastes tend to become chemically more available, which can result in the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD). Due to great volumes and slow chemical proc-esses, mine waste can release toxic compound for a very long time on the scale of centuries and thousands of years (BAT, 2003). Thus, remediation of mine sites, including abandoned mines, has to consider long-term solutions and remediation technologies have to be sustainable for a long time (Sind-ing, 1999). As an alternative, passive in situ remediation methods for AMD treatment using wetlands that provide means of cheap and sustainable reme-diation has been proposed (PIRAMID, 2003). Around the mine site, soils and surface water in the receiving environment are often contaminated with harmful elements or compounds of AMD. These contaminated sites act as secondary sources for pollution, especially for historic sites (Jordan and D‟Alessandro, 2004). <...>

Progress in science in the modern world is a matter of the international cooperation and is the result of the joint efforts of many scientists from many countries. This does not mean that we do not recognize the priority and role played by individual researchers in furthering concrete scientific disciplines.

Geochemistry in Mineral Exploration is a pioneering text and reference book dealing with the newer phases of an ancient and important subject that has intrigued man ever since the days he began to use metals rather than stones for his weapons and implements.

Organic matter is associated frequently with several types of ore deposits. Examples   include   uranium  deposits,  Mississippi  Valley-type   (MVT) bad-zinc deposits, Carlin-typc disseminated gold deposits, and black shale deposits. This association has led to suggestions that the organic material has been involved in ore genesis for many metals and in differing geological environments. Until recently, however, organic geochemical studies have lagged behind inorganic geochemical approaches. The prime reason has been the analytical difficulty in resolving and identifying the range of organic compounds in geological systems. This problem was resolved in the 1960s by the successful coupling of a separation technique, gas chromatography, with a meth\od for determining molecular mass and structure, mass specttrometry. At the start of a metallogenic study, it is necessary to consider critically whether the organic matter could have been passive or active in ore genesis. If passive, considerable information still can be obtained on ore genesis. Organic matter is a sensitive recorder for many events affecting host rocks, including thermal maturation (Douglas et al., 1970), oxidation (McPhee and Nandi, 1981; Havens et al., 1983), leaching {Hunt, 1979) <...>