Syllabus
1. Definitions, mine waste production, historic mining, present-day unregulated and regulated mining, rehabilitation of mine waste and mine sites
Sulphidic mine wastes (2-4) 2. primary minerals, weathering of sulphides, oxidation and gas transport, acid buffering reactions, coal mine wastes 3. secondary minerals, hydrogeology of mine waste, acid generation prediction 4. monitoring sulfidic wastes, environmental impacts, controls of sulphide oxidation
Mine water (5-8) 5. classification, sources, sampling and analysis, the microbiology of mine water, secondary minerals, adsorption/desorption processes 6. Eh-pH conditions, the Fe system, the Al system, the As system, the Hg system, the sulfate system, the carbonate system 7. monitoring mine water, spatial and temporal variations of acid mine drainage, modeling of mine water composition, environmental impacts 8. treatment of acid mine drainage 9. cyanide ? occurrences and uses, geochemistry, Au extraction, analysis and monitoring, environmental impact, cyanide attenuation
Annotation
The course covers the environmental problems and solutions associated with various aspects of the mining process. It emphasizes the characterization, monitoring, disposal and treatment of sulphidic wastes and mine waters.