Division of Geosciences and Waste Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå, Sweden.
Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, P.O. Box 25046, MS 964D, Denver, CO 80225-0046, USA.
J Hazard Mater. 2014 Feb 28;267:245-54. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.12.066. Epub 2014 Jan 7.
Novel solutions for sulfide-mine tailings remediation were evaluated in field-scale experiments on a former tailings repository in northern Sweden. Uncovered sulfide-tailings were compared to sewage-sludge biosolid amended tailings over 2 years. An application of a 0.2m single-layer sewage-sludge amendment was unsuccessful at preventing oxygen ingress to underlying tailings. It merely slowed the sulfide-oxidation rate by 20%. In addition, sludge-derived metals (Cu, Ni, Fe, and Zn) migrated and precipitated at the tailings-to-sludge interface. By using an additional 0.6m thick fly-ash sealing layer underlying the sewage sludge layer, a solution to mitigate oxygen transport to the underlying tailings and minimize sulfide-oxidation was found. The fly-ash acted as a hardened physical barrier that prevented oxygen diffusion and provided a trap for sludge-borne metals. Nevertheless, the biosolid application hampered the application, despite the advances in the effectiveness of the fly-ash layer, as sludge-borne nitrate leached through the cover system into the underlying tailings, oxidizing pyrite. This created a 0.3m deep oxidized zone in 6-years. This study highlights that using sewage sludge in unconventional cover systems is not always a practical solution for the remediation of sulfide-bearing mine tailings to mitigate against sulfide weathering and acid rock drainage formation.
在瑞典北部的一个前尾矿库进行了现场规模试验,评估了用于修复硫化物矿山尾矿的新方法。对未覆盖的硫化物尾矿和经过污水污泥生物固体改良的尾矿进行了为期两年的比较。应用 0.2m 厚的单层污水污泥改良剂未能阻止氧气进入下方尾矿,仅将硫化物氧化速率降低了 20%。此外,污泥衍生的金属(Cu、Ni、Fe 和 Zn)在尾矿与污泥界面迁移和沉淀。通过在污水污泥层下方再使用 0.6m 厚的粉煤灰封盖层,可以解决减少氧气向下方尾矿传输和最小化硫化物氧化的问题。粉煤灰起到了硬化的物理屏障的作用,防止了氧气扩散,并为污泥携带的金属提供了一个陷阱。尽管粉煤灰层的有效性有所提高,但生物固体的应用仍然受到阻碍,因为污泥携带的硝酸盐通过覆盖系统渗透到下方的尾矿中,氧化黄铁矿。这在 6 年内形成了一个 0.3m 深的氧化带。本研究强调,在非常规覆盖系统中使用污水污泥并非总是修复含硫化物矿山尾矿以防止硫化物风化和形成酸性岩排水的实用解决方案。