environmental mining issues acid mine drainage(amd) pyrite (any sulfide) + water = sulfuric acid ...
TRANSCRIPT
ENVIRONMENTAL MINING ISSUES
Acid Mine Drainage(AMD)
Pyrite (any sulfide) + Water = sulfuric acid
FeS2 + H2O H2SO4 + Fe Aka sulfide mining Sulfuric acid lowers the pH Happens in both surface and
underground mines Metal (Cu, Zn) or Coal mines
Yellow BoySoluble Iron
Yellow boy in a stream receiving acid drainage from surface coal mining
Berkeley Pit, MontanaAbandon Copper Mine
MINE WASTE
Waste makes up a larger % of the mine than the ore
More so in surface mines
Sand and Gravel mines- least amount of waste
Hard Rock mines- most amount of waste
What’s the problem with MINE WASTE?
Piles are an eyesore
Acid runoff
Tailings pile
Eagle Project Nickel/copper mine
in Marquette, MI People are against
it- BIG TIME! Latest news:
Mining will begin in 2013-2023
Nickel is used in stainless steel and hybrid batteries
What are citizens worried about? collapse of the roof of the mine, which lies
directly beneath the Salmon Trout River. acid mine drainage (see information on Sulfuric
Acid Mine Drainage below) air pollution from a 50-foot tall stack (annually
"at least 20 tons of dust containing sulfides and metals")
loud noise levels from mining and rock crushing at the site
80 ore truck trips a day impacting the region's roads (including spreading acid dust on roadsides)
video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t-TrOCibjk&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdefD_SBiL4&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Other Water Issues Mining lowers water table
Must pump water out to keep mine dry Usually surface mines
May decrease water quality Lead causes neurological damage Mercury can cause kidney problems
Itai-Itai disease Caused from
cadmium mining waste dumped in rivers and then used for irrigation of crops
Japan, 1950 “Ouch-ouch”
disease; extremely painful; attacks bones
MINE SUBSIDENCE
Mainly from underground or solution mining
Land above mine sinks
Wink Sink, TX1980Salt
Measuring subsidence from satellites
AIR POLLUTION
Dust from tailings May be reduced by:
Spray on latex coating Spray on water revegitate
Reclamation Act of 1977 Must prove that land can be reclaimed
before permits are issued restore to “useful” land tax of $.35/ton
Posting a Reclamation Bond: To ensure that the disturbed lands will be reclaimed, the government often requires that the miner set aside some or all of the amount of money needed to reclaim the disturbed lands.
Asbestos mining Carcinogen-
mesothelioma Fibrous group of
minerals Imbedded in lung
tissue Canada
COAL MINING Fires
Can spontaneously combust from coal dust
Black Lung disease Coal dust gets
embedded in lung tissue
1500 people/year Usually from older
mines when regulations weren’t in place