ANC–BNC Titrations and Geochemical Modeling for Characterizing Calcareous and Siliceous Mining Waste
Pyrite and calcite are mineral phases that play a major role in acid and neutral mine drainage processes. However, the prediction of acid mine drainage (AMD) or contaminated neutral drainage (CND) requires knowledge of the mineral composition of mining waste and the related potential for element rel...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Minerals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/3/257 |
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| author | Clémentine Drapeau Cécile Delolme Clément Vézin Denise Blanc Thomas Baumgartl Mansour Edraki Laurent Lassabatere |
| author_facet | Clémentine Drapeau Cécile Delolme Clément Vézin Denise Blanc Thomas Baumgartl Mansour Edraki Laurent Lassabatere |
| author_sort | Clémentine Drapeau |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pyrite and calcite are mineral phases that play a major role in acid and neutral mine drainage processes. However, the prediction of acid mine drainage (AMD) or contaminated neutral drainage (CND) requires knowledge of the mineral composition of mining waste and the related potential for element release. This paper studies the combination of acid–base neutralizing capacity (ANC–BNC) with geochemical modeling for the characterization of mining waste and prediction of AMD and CND. The proposed approach is validated with three synthetic mineral assemblages: (1) siliceous sand with pyrite only, representing mining waste responsible for AMD, (2) siliceous sand with calcite and pyrite, representing calcareous waste responsible for CND, and (3) siliceous sand with calcite only, simulating calcareous matrices without any pyrite. The geochemical modeling approach using PHREEQC software was used to model pH evolution and main element release as a function of the added amount of acid or base over the entire pH range: 1 < pH < 13. For calcareous matrices (sand with calcite), the results are typical of a carbonated environment, the geochemistry of which is well known. For matrices containing pyrite, the results identify different pH values favoring the dissolution of pyrite: pH = 2 in a pyrite-only environment and pH = 6 where pyrite coexists with calcite. The neutral conditions can be explained by the buffering capacity of calcite, which allows iron oxyhydroxide precipitation. Major element release is then related to the dissolution and precipitation of the mineral assemblages. The geochemical modeling allows the prediction of element speciation in the solid and liquid phases. Our findings clearly prove the potential of combined ANC–BNC experiments along with geochemical modeling for the characterization of mining waste and the assessment of risk of AMD and CND. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:09:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7c29ea4263d142bd8216cad250f0ade2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-163X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:09:26Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Minerals |
| spelling | doaj.art-7c29ea4263d142bd8216cad250f0ade22023-12-03T11:59:51ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2021-02-0111325710.3390/min11030257ANC–BNC Titrations and Geochemical Modeling for Characterizing Calcareous and Siliceous Mining WasteClémentine Drapeau0Cécile Delolme1Clément Vézin2Denise Blanc3Thomas Baumgartl4Mansour Edraki5Laurent Lassabatere6Direction Régionale de L’environnement, de L’aménagement et du Logement (DREAL), Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Unité Départementale du Rhône, 63 Avenue Roger Salengro, 69100 Villeurbanne, FranceENTPE, 3 rue Maurice Audin, F-69518 Vaulx-en-Velin, FranceUniversité de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés; Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 3 rue Maurice Audin, F-69518 Vaulx-en-Velin, FranceUniversité de Lyon, INSA-Lyon, Déchets Eau Environnement Pollutions (DEEP), 7 rue de la Physique, F-69621 Villeurbanne, FranceGeotechnical and Hydrogeological Engineering Research Group (GHERG), Federation University Australia, Churchill, VIC 3841, AustraliaCentre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, AustraliaUniversité de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés; Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 3 rue Maurice Audin, F-69518 Vaulx-en-Velin, FrancePyrite and calcite are mineral phases that play a major role in acid and neutral mine drainage processes. However, the prediction of acid mine drainage (AMD) or contaminated neutral drainage (CND) requires knowledge of the mineral composition of mining waste and the related potential for element release. This paper studies the combination of acid–base neutralizing capacity (ANC–BNC) with geochemical modeling for the characterization of mining waste and prediction of AMD and CND. The proposed approach is validated with three synthetic mineral assemblages: (1) siliceous sand with pyrite only, representing mining waste responsible for AMD, (2) siliceous sand with calcite and pyrite, representing calcareous waste responsible for CND, and (3) siliceous sand with calcite only, simulating calcareous matrices without any pyrite. The geochemical modeling approach using PHREEQC software was used to model pH evolution and main element release as a function of the added amount of acid or base over the entire pH range: 1 < pH < 13. For calcareous matrices (sand with calcite), the results are typical of a carbonated environment, the geochemistry of which is well known. For matrices containing pyrite, the results identify different pH values favoring the dissolution of pyrite: pH = 2 in a pyrite-only environment and pH = 6 where pyrite coexists with calcite. The neutral conditions can be explained by the buffering capacity of calcite, which allows iron oxyhydroxide precipitation. Major element release is then related to the dissolution and precipitation of the mineral assemblages. The geochemical modeling allows the prediction of element speciation in the solid and liquid phases. Our findings clearly prove the potential of combined ANC–BNC experiments along with geochemical modeling for the characterization of mining waste and the assessment of risk of AMD and CND.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/3/257pyritecalcitepHspeciationgeochemical modeling |
| spellingShingle | Clémentine Drapeau Cécile Delolme Clément Vézin Denise Blanc Thomas Baumgartl Mansour Edraki Laurent Lassabatere ANC–BNC Titrations and Geochemical Modeling for Characterizing Calcareous and Siliceous Mining Waste Minerals pyrite calcite pH speciation geochemical modeling |
| title | ANC–BNC Titrations and Geochemical Modeling for Characterizing Calcareous and Siliceous Mining Waste |
| title_full | ANC–BNC Titrations and Geochemical Modeling for Characterizing Calcareous and Siliceous Mining Waste |
| title_fullStr | ANC–BNC Titrations and Geochemical Modeling for Characterizing Calcareous and Siliceous Mining Waste |
| title_full_unstemmed | ANC–BNC Titrations and Geochemical Modeling for Characterizing Calcareous and Siliceous Mining Waste |
| title_short | ANC–BNC Titrations and Geochemical Modeling for Characterizing Calcareous and Siliceous Mining Waste |
| title_sort | anc bnc titrations and geochemical modeling for characterizing calcareous and siliceous mining waste |
| topic | pyrite calcite pH speciation geochemical modeling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/3/257 |
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