Geochemical classification of global mine water drainage

Sandisiwe Khanyisa Thisani, Daramy Vondi Von Kallon, Patrick Byrne

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper evaluates the geochemical distribution and classification of global Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) sources. The geochemical compositions of AMD from 72 mine water sites in 18 countries across 6 continents were referenced from literature. The secondary data were analysed for statistical distribution and mine water classification against the Hill (1968) framework. The research found that the global mine water displayed geochemical concentrations within 2%, 11%, 5%, 9% and 8% of the aluminium, sulphate, acidity, total iron and zinc distribution ranges, respectively, at the 75th percentile. The study also found that 46%, 11.1% and 2.7% of mine water sites met the criteria for Class I, Class II and Class III of the Hill (1968) framework, respectively, while the remaining 40% of sites were omitted by the framework’s geochemical specifications. The results were used to optimise the Hill (1968) framework. The revised framework was proposed for effective AMD geochemical classification, regulation and remediation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number10244
Pages (from-to)1-16
Number of pages16
JournalSustainability
Volume12
Issue number24
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2020

Keywords

  • Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)
  • Geochemical classification
  • Mine water characteristics
  • Mine water geochemistry

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Science (miscellaneous)
  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Hardware and Architecture
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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